Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-09
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 given table illustrates the information about six cities namely, London, Paris,Tokyo,Washington DC ,Kyoto and los Angeles which have underground railway systems.
Overall,it is evident that Tokyo most popular among six cities and recorded highest in terms of underground railway systems.However, Kyoto and los Angeles showed least passengers per year .In addition all remaining cities constituted moderate increased in terms of passengers going per year through railway underground system.
Firstly,Tokyo recorded highest figure around 1927 millions passengers per year who used underground railway system.london recorded.While Paris showed 775 millions of passengers per year and London constituted about 775 millions people per year .In addition,Tokyo recorded highest figure across remaining cities.
Secondly, Washington DC accounted for 144 millions passengers per year ,whereas Kyoto represented only 45 millions per year and Los Angeles illustrated 50 million passenger per year they used to underground railway system .los Angeles and Kyoto both cities represented lowest figure among other 4 countries.
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 the main features of the six cities. However, the data presentation is inconsistent and contains factual errors. For example, you state that London and Paris both have 775 million passengers, whereas the table shows London has 775 and Paris has 1191. Additionally, you mention the 'date opened' and 'kilometers of route' in the introduction but fail to incorporate these metrics into the body paragraphs, focusing almost exclusively on passenger numbers. To improve, ensure data accuracy and provide a more balanced analysis that compares all provided categories rather than just one.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow is hindered by repetitive phrasing and mechanical transitions. While you use 'Firstly' and 'Secondly', the internal logic within paragraphs is weak. For instance, the second paragraph jumps between cities without a clear comparative structure. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'remaining cities' which is used vaguely. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices (e.g., 'in contrast', 'conversely', 'meanwhile') and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus that logically progresses from the previous one.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. You rely on basic verbs like 'recorded', 'showed', and 'illustrated' repeatedly. There are also issues with capitalization (e.g., 'london', 'los Angeles') and minor word-choice errors, such as 'moderate increased' instead of 'a moderate increase'. To improve, incorporate more sophisticated reporting verbs and ensure consistent capitalization of proper nouns. Expanding your range of synonyms for 'increase', 'decrease', and 'highest/lowest' will help demonstrate a more flexible command of the language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in punctuation, such as missing spaces after commas (e.g., 'DC ,Kyoto') and inconsistent capitalization. Subject-verb agreement is also problematic, such as 'Tokyo most popular' (missing 'is') and 'all remaining cities constituted moderate increased'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focus on proofreading for basic grammatical structures and ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and verb.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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