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 assigned bar graph illustrates information about the system of underground railway in different six cities namely London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.
Evidently, in 1863, about 394 kilometer of route covered by about 775 millions passengers per year in london followed by paris was 199 kilometer of route travelled by 1191 people in a year in 1900. In contrast, Tokyo had approximately 155 kilometer route which was done by about 1927 million annually in 1927, Whereas approximately 126 killometer route travelled by 144 million passengers in 1976.
Analysing Further, less amount of railway route covered by kyoto by 45 million travellers in 1981 and 28 kilometers of railway track by 50 millions of passengers in 2001.
Overall, it can be clearly seen that Tokyo and paris were more interested in using railway route in 1900 and 1976, whereas, Kyoto and Los Angeles passengers were not preferred to travel by railway track in 1981 and 2001
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all the cities and data points provided in the table. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview. The summary provided in the final paragraph is inaccurate, as it misinterprets the data by suggesting that passengers were 'not preferred' to travel by railway, which is a subjective interpretation not supported by the figures. Furthermore, the report fails to make meaningful comparisons between the cities, such as highlighting that Tokyo has the highest passenger numbers despite not being the oldest system. To improve, focus on grouping data logically and identifying key trends rather than listing figures chronologically.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The transition between the first and second paragraphs is abrupt, and the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes awkward, such as 'Analysing Further'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the comparison between cities is confusing. The structure would benefit from a more cohesive approach that links the data points through comparative language rather than simply listing them city by city.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is somewhat repetitive and basic. Phrases like 'less amount of railway route' and 'more interested in using' are imprecise and do not accurately reflect the data. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'done by' to describe passenger numbers, which is not appropriate for this context. To reach a higher band, you should use more precise terminology related to statistics and transport, such as 'extensive network', 'annual ridership', or 'commuter volume'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'route covered by... passengers'), incorrect preposition usage, and missing articles. Sentence structures are mostly simple or contain errors when attempting complexity. For example, 'about 394 kilometer of route covered by about 775 millions passengers' lacks a main verb. Improving control over basic sentence construction and ensuring consistent use of plural/singular forms will significantly improve the quality of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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