Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-13

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 shows data of underground railway Systems in different 6 cities.

Overall, London underground railways were the oldest one and had the longest route. However, the highest number of passengers were attracted by Tokyo and Paris railway systems. Conversely, other three states introduced underground train system with least route range in kilometers and passengers per year in contrast to other cities.

In 1863, London underground trains had route of 394 kilometers and the public used those trains were recorded 775 million passengers in a year. Paris systems were opened in 1900 but route was reduces to 199 km and number of travelers increased up to 1191 millions. Tokyo train system introduced in 1927 with the route of 155 km and attracted the most significant number of travelers which was 1927 million per year.

Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles trains were introduced in 1976, 1981 and 2001. Routes were reduced for those railways which was about 126, 11 and 28 kilometers. Kyoto had the smallest route and passengers of 45 million while other two states interacted the passengers of 144 and 50 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features and making relevant comparisons. You successfully highlighted the oldest system (London) and the busiest (Tokyo). However, the analysis is slightly hampered by some inaccuracies in data interpretation. For instance, you state that the routes were 'reduced' for the newer cities; while this is true in a chronological sense, it implies a causal link that isn't necessarily present. Additionally, referring to cities as 'states' is factually incorrect. To improve, ensure that your comparisons focus more on the relationship between the variables (e.g., the contrast between the age of the system and the passenger volume) rather than just listing the data points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is coherent and follows a logical structure, moving from an overview to specific details. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the body paragraphs. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the transition 'Conversely, other three states'. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect the data points more fluidly. Overall, the information is easy to follow, but the progression could be more sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey the information, using terms like 'attracted', 'significant', and 'introduced'. However, there are some word choice errors that affect precision, such as using 'states' instead of 'cities' and 'interacted the passengers' which is an incorrect collocation. The phrasing 'route was reduces' contains a grammatical error that also impacts lexical accuracy. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology related to data description, such as 'the network expanded' or 'passenger numbers peaked'.

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 frequent grammatical errors, such as 'route was reduces', 'the public used those trains were recorded', and 'other three states'. Subject-verb agreement and article usage (e.g., 'the other three cities') need more attention. While these errors do not impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic verb forms and ensuring that your sentence structures are grammatically sound.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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