Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-01

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 provided table depicts the information about the underground railway systems across six cities of different countries.

Overall, what stands out from the data is that in Tokyo's railway a greater number of passengers travel every year, followed by Paris which come second. The least number of people travel in Kyoto's railway system.

In 1927, the railway system of Tokyo opened, which covers 155 km distance, and 1927 million passengers travel every year. Paris railway's established in the year 1900, which is on 199 km distance and 1191 million people travel per year. However, 775 million passengers travel in London's railway, which is on 394 distance kilo-meter.

144 million people travel in Washington DC's railway, which is coined on 1976. Kyoto and Los Angeles were the only countries with the least number of passengers with 45 and 50 million people, respectively per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers all six cities and includes the main features of the data. However, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which limits the depth of the analysis. While you have identified the highest and lowest figures, the comparisons are somewhat basic. To improve, ensure you group the data more effectively—for example, by comparing the older systems (London, Paris) with the newer ones (Kyoto, Los Angeles). The failure to meet the word count requirement significantly impacts the overall task achievement score, as the analysis remains underdeveloped.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs, which provides a logical structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'which is on', 'which covers'). The transition between sentences could be smoother to improve the flow of information. While the paragraphing is sufficient, the lack of sophisticated linking words makes the progression feel a bit disjointed. Increasing the variety of cohesive devices would help elevate the score in this area.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You rely on simple phrasing, such as 'travel every year' and 'least number of people'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'coined on 1976' (which is incorrect usage) and 'distance kilo-meter'. To achieve a higher score, you should use more varied terminology related to data reporting, such as 'commuters', 'annual ridership', or 'operational since'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that affect clarity, such as 'Paris railway's established' (should be 'was established') and 'Kyoto and Los Angeles were the only countries' (these are cities, not countries). Additionally, the phrasing 'which is on 199 km distance' is grammatically incorrect. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage.

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

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