Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-19

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 take above summarises the information about the underground railway systems of six cities across the world, with london railway system being the longest among them all routing around 394km with more than 700 million passengers pr year. But on the other hand if we see paris and tokyo even tho the kilometres route of there railway systems is less than london's one but still it manages to have more passengers with a very big gap in numbers. Other than tye other cities have almost the same route as the above one's but ut seems like people don’t prefer railways that much in those cities. kyot railway system being with the least number of passengers per year, with only 45 million passengers and 11 kilometres of route. And los Angeles the city of USA being the second to the lowest with a very small route and less passengers compared to other cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have identified the main features of the table, such as London's extensive route and Tokyo's high passenger volume. However, the response lacks a clear overview or summary paragraph, which is essential for Task 1. Furthermore, the data presentation is somewhat disorganized; for instance, you mention 'other cities have almost the same route' when the data shows significant variations (e.g., 126km vs 11km). The comparison between cities is present but could be more precise by grouping the older, larger systems against the newer, smaller ones. To improve, ensure you provide a clear summary of the trends and avoid informal phrasing like 'it seems like'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is written as a single paragraph, which hinders logical progression. IELTS Academic Task 1 requires clear paragraphing to separate the introduction/overview from the body details. While you use some cohesive devices like 'on the other hand' and 'but', the flow is often interrupted by run-on sentences and informal transitions. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'the above one's', which makes it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison. To reach a higher band, you must organize your ideas into distinct paragraphs and use a wider range of linking words to connect your comparisons more smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. You rely on basic descriptors like 'big gap' and 'same route'. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'london' (should be capitalized), 'tho', 'tye', 'kyot', and 'ut'. These errors, combined with the informal tone, limit your score. To improve, focus on using more academic vocabulary related to data description, such as 'significant disparity', 'minimal', or 'substantial', and ensure you proofread for basic spelling and capitalization errors, especially regarding proper nouns.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'with london railway system being the longest' is a fragment, and 'the kilometres route of there railway systems' contains a misuse of 'there' instead of 'their'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing commas and incorrect capitalization. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring every sentence has a clear main verb.

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

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