Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-23

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 data presents the data about underground railway systems in six cities. Looking at the overall data, it is readily apparent that all the railway systems except Los Angeles were functional in eighteenth and nineteenth century.

In 18th Century, London railway system was developed first among all the cities, which operates about 394km of route and hold nearly 775 millions of people every year. Whereas, Paris railway were inaugurated in 1900 and holds 1191 million passengers, but operates comparatively lower kilometers of route (199). However, there is a slight difference in operational route of railway system in Tokyo(155 km) and Washington DC(126 km), but Washington DC holds 144 million individuals which shows huge disparity of 1927 millions in Tokyo. Kyoto and Los Angeles were opened in 1981 and 2001 respectively, functional in lesser kilometers of route that is 11km for Kyoto and 28km for Los Angeles but has marginal difference in hollding passengers that is 45 and 50 millions respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features and provided relevant comparisons. You covered all six cities and included the key data points (date, route length, and passengers). However, there are significant factual errors in your analysis. You stated that London opened in the '18th Century' (it opened in 1863, which is the 19th century) and claimed Tokyo has a 'disparity of 1927 millions' in passengers, which misinterprets the table data. Additionally, your overview is slightly inaccurate, as London and Paris opened in the 19th and 20th centuries, not the 18th. To improve, ensure you carefully verify the data points before writing to avoid misrepresenting the information provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into two clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'however', and 'respectively' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition between the older systems and the newer ones feels abrupt. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as when you mention '18th Century' to describe the opening dates. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the overall flow and logical progression of your report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'inaugurated', 'operational', and 'disparity'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'holds 1191 million passengers' (a better choice would be 'serves' or 'accommodates') and 'functional in lesser kilometers' (which is grammatically awkward). There are also minor spelling errors, such as 'hollding'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that your vocabulary choices are contextually appropriate for describing statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'The data presents the data' is repetitive, and 'London railway system was developed first among all the cities' lacks an article. You also have issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'in eighteenth and nineteenth century' (should be 'in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries'). While your meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on article usage and pluralisation will help improve your accuracy.

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

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