Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-25
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 table provides information about the underground railway system in six cities. Overall, the ratio of Tokyo railway stations is higher than that of the other cities, namely London, Paris, Kyoto, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.
The first underground railway station in Tokyo opened in 1927; the length of the route is 155 kilometers, but the passenger ratio is 1927 million per year, which is higher than that of the others. The underground railway station of Kyoto opened in 1981; the route is 11 kilometers and the passengers per year are 45 million, which is lower than any other railway station.
The underground railway station in Paris was opened in 1900. The distance is about 199 kilometers, and the number of passengers per year is 1191 million. The underground railway station in London was opened in 1863. The route length is 394 kilometers, which is higher than that of Paris, but the number of passengers in London is lower than in Paris.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the data, such as the oldest and newest systems and the highest passenger numbers. However, the overview is inaccurate; you mention a 'ratio of railway stations,' but the table provides route length and passenger numbers, not station counts. This misinterpretation of the data significantly impacts the accuracy of your summary. Furthermore, you failed to include data for Washington DC in your analysis, which is a key part of the provided information. To improve, ensure you carefully read the table headers and include all cities to provide a comprehensive summary.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. You use basic cohesive devices like 'The first...' and 'The underground railway station in...', which makes the writing feel repetitive. While there is a logical flow, the lack of sophisticated linking words or varied sentence structures makes the text feel disjointed. To improve, try to group the cities by their characteristics (e.g., oldest vs. newest or highest vs. lowest usage) rather than listing them city by city, and use a wider variety of cohesive devices to connect your sentences.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. You repeatedly use the phrase 'underground railway station' to refer to the entire system, which is inaccurate; the table refers to 'systems' or 'routes.' Using the same phrase repeatedly limits your score. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or collocations. To improve, use more precise terminology such as 'network,' 'infrastructure,' 'annual ridership,' or 'total route length,' and avoid repeating the same noun phrases throughout the response.
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 some awkward phrasings, such as 'the ratio of Tokyo railway stations is higher.' The use of punctuation is generally correct, but the sentence variety is limited. You rely heavily on simple 'subject-verb-object' structures. To improve, try to incorporate more complex sentence forms, such as using relative clauses or participial phrases to combine information about the cities, which would demonstrate better control over grammatical range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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