Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-27
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 illustrates an information about underground railway facility in London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles. Table contains date when it has opened , killometers and route and passengers per year.
Overall, it is evident from the table that people who live in Tokyo city has used the maximun railway facility among other cities. Los Angeles has least number of railway users. Where as, London railway has the longest route.
Kyoto has the lowest number of railway users and it has the shortest route. 50 millions of passengers uses railway in Kyoto and it contains 28 killometers of route. On the other hand, Tokyo has the highest passengers number which is arround 1927 millions per year and it has approximately 199 km of length in route.
Furthermore, London railway follows longest route among other cities and it was opened in the year 1863. It has about 394 killometers path. Followed by, second largest route was used by the Paris railway having 1191 passengers per year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all the main features of the table, including the date opened, route length, and passenger numbers. You have successfully identified the extremes, such as London having the longest route and Tokyo having the highest passenger volume. However, there are some factual inaccuracies in your reporting; for instance, you state that Kyoto has the lowest number of users and the shortest route, but the table shows Los Angeles has a shorter route (28km vs 11km) and Washington DC has a lower passenger count than Kyoto. Additionally, your comparison of Paris is slightly confusing. To improve, ensure you double-check the data points before writing to avoid misrepresenting the information provided.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'Furthermore', and 'On the other hand' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed. For example, the transition between discussing Kyoto and Tokyo is a bit abrupt, and the final paragraph contains a confusing sentence structure regarding the Paris railway. Using more varied linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would improve the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the main points of the task, such as 'illustrates', 'evident', and 'approximately'. However, there are several errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'killometers' (repeatedly misspelled), 'maximun', and 'arround'. Additionally, the phrase 'illustrates an information' is grammatically incorrect as 'information' is an uncountable noun. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology related to data description and ensure you proofread for spelling errors, which currently occur frequently enough to be noticeable.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include 'people who live in Tokyo city has used' (subject-verb agreement), 'Table contains date when it has opened' (missing articles and tense issues), and '50 millions of passengers uses' (pluralisation and agreement). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles (e.g., 'the table'), and consistent verb tenses when describing data.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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