Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-14
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 provided table charts illustrate the data regarding the underground railway line among six cities.
Overall, it can be seen that most amount of individual traveled by Tokyo rail network .Whereas , the least amount of passengers traveled by Kyoto per year .
To begin with , in terms of London , there was an 775 Million pasengers traveled per year with the connection of 394 K.M , that was enograted in 1863 . Now moving to Paris , that was opend in 1900 along with rail network of 199 K.M , and that was used by 1191 Millions people each year . Tokyo station was used by most amount of individual compare to other station .that was around 1927 Million individuals per year .
In addition , Washington DC rail network was opend sinces 1976 along with 126 K.M of route . in terms of kyoto , That was accessible sinces 1981 , with 11 K.M of rail network . However , that is least used rail system in terms of passengers . Moreover, in Los Angeles , 50 Million people travel per year with the route of 28 K.M .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all the required data points and identifies the main features, such as the highest and lowest passenger numbers. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention the dates and figures, there is a lack of meaningful comparison between the cities. For example, you could have contrasted the older, larger systems like London and Paris with the newer, smaller systems like Kyoto and Los Angeles. The overview is present but could be more analytical by highlighting the inverse relationship between the age of the system and the passenger volume in some cases.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'Now moving to Paris' or 'in terms of kyoto'. There are also issues with punctuation, specifically the placement of spaces before commas and periods, which disrupts the flow of the text. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the transitions between sentences could be smoother and more varied to improve the overall readability of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate to convey the basic information, but it is quite repetitive. You frequently use phrases like 'amount of individual' and 'rail network'. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'enograted' (inaugurated), 'opend', and 'sinces'. These errors, combined with the limited variety of vocabulary, prevent the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, try to use more precise synonyms for 'opened' or 'travelled' and ensure that you use nouns and verbs in their correct forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures. While there are attempts at complex sentences, they are often marred by grammatical errors, such as 'that was enograted in 1863' and 'Tokyo station was used by most amount of individual compare to other station'. Punctuation is a significant issue throughout the text, with inconsistent spacing and unnecessary capitalization. Subject-verb agreement and article usage (e.g., 'the least amount') also require attention. The frequent errors in basic grammar structures occasionally impede the clarity of the information provided.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.