Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-24
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 chart illustrates the information about underground railways systems in six different cities namely London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington Dc ,Kyoto and Los Angles that at date they opened and how many kilometers of route they spread and passengers per year(in millions).
Overall, it is clearly seen that London is firstly opened its subway and covers the highest radius in the table opposingly Los Angeles is that city who opened its railway lately .
Well, London is that city which was opened in 1863 and covers almost 400 kilometers of route which takes almost 775 million passengers every year . Moving forward with Paris which was started at 1900 and spreaded over 199 kilometers of radius and 1191 travellers travel in railway. Tokyo is that city who initiate their railway system in 1927 and run over 155 kilometers of route its railway system was used by highest number of passengers almost 1927 passengers annually comparing to other cities .
The further analyses of table chart provide the information that Washington DC opened at 1976 which travel 126 kilometers of route and 144 million travellers used this railway for transport . Kyoto opened its railways system in 1981 and covers the smallest radius only 11 kilometers and 45 million passengers per year . Los Angeles opened their underground subway lately at 2001 and cover the radius of 28 kilometers which was used by 50 million travellers annually.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all key features of the table, including the dates, route lengths, and passenger numbers. You have successfully identified the oldest and newest systems, as well as the extremes in terms of route length and passenger volume. However, the analysis is somewhat descriptive and lacks a more sophisticated synthesis of the data. For instance, while you mention the statistics for each city, the comparisons could be more integrated to highlight trends or relationships between the age of the system and its usage. The overview is present but could be more concise and focused on the most significant trends rather than just listing facts.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'is that city which' or 'Moving forward with'. Some transitions feel forced, and the referencing is occasionally awkward, which impacts the flow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that sentences connect more naturally would help elevate the score in this criterion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'annually', and 'transport'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward phrasing, such as 'covers the highest radius' (radius is not the correct term for route length) and 'spreaded' (incorrect past tense of spread). Additionally, the phrasing 'is that city who opened' is unnatural. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology related to data description and avoid repetitive sentence structures that rely on basic vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'London is firstly opened'), incorrect preposition usage (e.g., 'at 1900' instead of 'in 1900'), and awkward relative clauses (e.g., 'is that city who initiate'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas and parentheses. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the data, they occur frequently enough to limit the score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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