Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-30

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 shows data about underground railway systems in 6 cities:London,Paris,Tokyo,WashingtonDC,Kyoto

LosAngeles with regard to year, they opened,the length of routes in kilometres,and the passengers per year in millions.

Overall,london has the oldest and longest underground network,whereas Kyoto has the newest and shortest.In terms of passenger numbers,Tokyo is by far the busiest,while Kyoto has the fewest users.

London opened its underground system is 1863 and the longest route at 394km,serving 775 million passengers per year.

Paris followed in 1900 with 199 km,serving 775 million per year.

In contrast the newer systems are much smaller.WashigtonDC opened in 1976 with 126 km and 144 million passengers.Kyoto which began in 1981,has only 11km of routes and 45 million passengers.LosAngles,the most recent in 2001,has 28km and 50 million passengers per year.

In conclusion,older underground systems tends to have longer routes,but passenger volume is not directly related to age of length.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all key features of the table, including comparisons between the oldest and newest systems and the busiest and least busy networks. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the depth of the analysis. Additionally, there is a factual error in the text: you stated Paris serves 775 million passengers, but the table indicates 1191 million. While you successfully identify the main trends, the failure to meet the minimum word count and the data inaccuracy prevent a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'in contrast', and 'in conclusion' are used to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by minor punctuation errors and missing spaces between words (e.g., 'London,Paris,Tokyo'). The paragraphing is sufficient, but the overall progression could be smoother if the sentences were more clearly connected to the comparative analysis.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'network', 'passenger volume', and 'recent'. However, there are several spelling errors and formatting issues, such as 'WashigtonDC' and 'LosAngles', which suggest a lack of careful proofreading. The vocabulary is functional but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated synonyms and ensuring accurate spelling of proper nouns and technical terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'London opened its underground system is 1863' (should be 'in 1863') and 'older underground systems tends' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with spacing after commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall clarity and professional tone of the writing.

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

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