Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-07
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 supplied table graph represents the comparative data of bout the underground railway systems in six cities. The data is calibrated in number of kilometers.
An inspection of the data in the table clearly depicts that London underground railway systems was opened in 1863, making it the Oldest system among the six cities that is also has longest root at 394 kilometers. it carries 775 million Passengers per. It is conspicuous that Paris railway was opened in 1900 has route of 199 km and it carries 775 million carrier 1191 million Passengers annually. A close inspection of the table indicates that Tokyo railway was opened in 1927 and has 155 km of root, it has the highest number of passenger, at 1927 million per year. It is apparently Seem that Washington DC railway was opened in 1976, with 126 kilometer of route. and 144 million passengers in per Year. It can be observed that Kyoto railway was opened in 1981, has only 11 kilometer of route and Carrier 45 million passengers Ce Lastly, Los Angeles Per year 28 km of route and carrier 50 million passengers Passengers per year.
Overall, it is quite evident that London was represented for
the highest portion in oldest and longest underground railway system, while Kyoto was calculated for the lowest one. Furthermore, Tokyo records a significant upturn the proportion of was observed over the given period.
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
You have successfully identified the main features of the data and provided relevant comparisons. You covered all six cities and included the key metrics: date opened, route length, and passenger numbers. However, the report lacks a clear, analytical overview. While you attempted an 'Overall' paragraph, it is somewhat confusing and does not effectively synthesize the trends (e.g., the inverse relationship between the age of the system and passenger volume). To improve, ensure your overview highlights the most significant patterns rather than just repeating data points. The inclusion of all data points is good, but try to group them more logically to facilitate better comparison.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the flow between sentences is often mechanical and repetitive. You rely heavily on simple sentence structures and lack a variety of cohesive devices to link ideas smoothly. For example, the transition between the description of Tokyo and Washington DC is abrupt. Using more sophisticated linking words such as 'In contrast,' 'Conversely,' or 'Furthermore' would improve the logical progression. Additionally, some referencing is unclear, such as the phrase 'the proportion of was observed,' which disrupts the cohesion of your final summary.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is quite repetitive. You frequently use the same verbs ('opened', 'has', 'carries') and nouns ('railway', 'passengers', 'route'). There are also several instances of word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'the proportion of was observed' and 'carrier 45 million passengers'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use a wider range of synonyms and more precise collocations. For instance, instead of 'has the highest number', you could use 'boasts the largest volume of passengers'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The text contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'it is apparently Seem'), missing articles, and punctuation errors (e.g., 'passengers per. It is conspicuous'). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and word order, such as 'Los Angeles Per year 28 km of route and carrier 50 million passengers'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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