Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-04
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The take below gives information about the underground railway systems in six cities.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Underground Railway Systems
City Date opened Kilometers of route Passengers per year (in millions) London 1863 394 775 Paris 1900 199 1191 Tokyo 1927 155 1927 Washington DC 1976 126 144 Kyoto 1981 11 45 Los Angeles 2001 28 50
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The table shows data about underground railway network arrangements in six cities.
The table reflects that the busiest underground railway route among the six cities is Tokyo, and the largest railway route is London. It shows that London is also the oldest opened underground railway network and Los Angeles is the latest.
Among the six cities Tokyo railway route carries almost 1927 million passengers per year which is the largest number of all. Though London has a total of 394 kilometers of total route which is the longest among all the six cities it only carries 775 million passengers per year.
However, London is the oldest railway route amoung the six cities mentioned in the table which was build all the way back in 1863. According to the timing that the stations were opened, the most recent one is Los Angeles. It was build in 2001 and has 28 kilometers route and carries only 50 million passengers per year. In case of the total route and total passenger travelling each year Los Angeles station is the smallest of all the six cities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all parts of the task by identifying key features such as the oldest/newest systems and the busiest/largest networks. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you correctly identify Tokyo as the busiest and London as the largest, the comparison between these two could be more analytical. You mention Kyoto and Washington DC, but you do not integrate them into the comparison effectively, leaving them largely ignored. To reach a higher band, ensure you group data points more logically to highlight trends rather than simply listing facts city by city.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. The use of cohesive devices is limited, relying heavily on simple transitions like 'However' and 'Though'. Some sentences feel disconnected, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive (e.g., 'the six cities' is used frequently). Improving the flow by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would improve the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on basic descriptors such as 'largest', 'oldest', and 'smallest'. There is an attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'railway network' and 'route', but the range is limited. Additionally, there are minor errors in word choice, such as 'railway route' when referring to the system itself, and 'timing' instead of 'year'. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and precise collocations related to data reporting.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'was build' (should be 'was built') and 'amoung' (spelling error). There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on consistent verb tense usage and proofreading for common spelling and grammatical slips will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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