Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-31
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 the data of underground railway systems in six different cities which includes their opening date, distance travelled and figure of travelers.
London transport system was the oldest built-in, completed 394 kilometers per route highest among all. Kyoto railway system travelled 11 kilometers, lowest among others.
Overall, London railway station was opened in 1863, completed 394 kilometers per route and 775 million passengers travelled per year. London system was considered as the biggest group among all. Furthermore, Paris railway station was constructed in 1900, transported 1191 million passengers per year. Tokyo transport system finished 155 kilometers per route with 1927 million people.
Whereas, Washing ton Dc was constructed in 1967, carried 144 million individuals annually and completed 126 kilometers per route. Los Angeles was built in 2001, newest among all. Los Angeles railway system transported 50 million passengers every year. Kyoto was constructed in 1981, travelled 11 kilometers per route and transported 45 million passengers. Kyoto railway system carried the lowest proportion of travelers.
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 requirements of the task by summarizing the main features of the table. You have successfully identified key trends, such as London being the oldest and Tokyo having the highest passenger volume. However, the report lacks a clear, cohesive overview paragraph that synthesizes the data effectively. Some data points are presented as a list rather than a comparative analysis. For instance, the description of each city is somewhat repetitive in structure. To improve, focus on grouping cities by shared characteristics (e.g., older vs. newer systems) rather than listing them individually, which would better demonstrate the ability to select and report main features.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. You use some cohesive devices like 'Furthermore' and 'Whereas', but the transition between sentences is often abrupt. The paragraphing is a bit disjointed; the second paragraph is very short, and the third paragraph contains a mix of information that could be better structured. Improving the use of referencing (e.g., 'the former', 'the latter') and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would significantly enhance the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information, using terms like 'transported', 'constructed', and 'annually'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'completed 394 kilometers per route' is not the most natural way to describe the length of a railway system; 'covers a distance of' or 'has a route length of' would be more precise. Additionally, there are minor errors such as 'Washing ton Dc' (spelling) and 'biggest group' (inaccurate description for a railway system). Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and nouns would help achieve a higher score.
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 several grammatical errors. For example, 'London transport system was the oldest built-in' is awkward and grammatically incorrect. You also have issues with articles (e.g., 'Tokyo transport system finished...') and punctuation. Some sentences are slightly fragmented or lack necessary prepositions. To reach a higher band, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and using a wider variety of complex structures, such as relative clauses or passive voice, with greater accuracy to minimize these persistent errors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.