Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-04

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 compares railway systems operating underground in six different cities.

From the table, we can find that the oldest railway system is of London and the latest railway system is of Los Angeles. London railway system has the longest route of 394km and Kyoto has the shortest route of 11km. Additionally, highest number of passengers is carried by the Tokyo Railway whereas the least is carried by the Kyoto.

London railway was opened on 1863 which was 394km of the route and carried 775 million of passengers per year. Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC and Kyoto were all opened in the 20th Century BC with actual opening date of 1900, 1927, 1976 and 1981 respectively. They were of 199km, 155km, 126km and 11km respectively each carrying 1191 millions, 1927 millions, 144 millions and 45 millions respectively. The Los Angeles was opened in 2001 with 28km of route which carries 50 millions passengers each year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all key features of the table, including the oldest/newest systems, the longest/shortest routes, and passenger volume comparisons. However, the analysis is largely descriptive and lacks a clear, cohesive overview that synthesizes the data trends. The inclusion of '20th Century BC' is a significant factual error that undermines the accuracy of the report. While the main features are selected, the presentation is somewhat mechanical, listing data points rather than making insightful comparisons between the cities' ages and their respective capacities.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into three paragraphs, which is appropriate for a report. There is a logical progression from general observations to specific data points. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive, particularly the frequent use of 'respectively' and 'and'. The transition between the second and third paragraphs is abrupt. While the information is generally easy to follow, the lack of varied linking words and the mechanical listing of data points limit the flow of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the data clearly. However, the range is limited and somewhat repetitive. Phrases like 'oldest railway system' and 'longest route' are used correctly, but there is little attempt to use more sophisticated or varied vocabulary to describe trends or comparisons. The error '20th Century BC' is a major lexical and factual inaccuracy that detracts from the professional tone required for an Academic Task 1 response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'is of London' instead of 'is London's', and 'carried 775 million of passengers' instead of '775 million passengers'. The use of prepositions is occasionally awkward, such as 'opened on 1863' (should be 'in 1863'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. The sentence structure is generally functional but lacks variety.

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

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