Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-09
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 CHART PROVIDE A DATA ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND RAILWAY SYSTEMS ACCROSS THE SIX BIG CITIES. THE TABLE ILLUSTRATES VARIOUS INFORMATION SUCH AS OPENING DATE, TOTAL LENGTH OF ROUTE AS WELL AS ANNUAL PASSENGER NUMBERS (IN MILLIONS).
OVERALL, THE CHART DEMONSTRATED THAT AMONG THESE CITIES THE OLDEST UNDERGROUND RAILWAY SYSTEM HAD IN LONDON SINCE 1863 WITH LONGEST ROUTE COMPAIRED TO OTHER FIVE CITIES (PARIS, TOKYO, WASHINGTON DC, KYOTO AND LOS ANGELES). WHILE LOS ANGELES UNDERGROUND RAILWAY SYSTEM OPENED IN 2001, MAKING THE NEWEST SYSTEM AMONG THOSE LISTED CITIES IN THE TABLE AND ADDITIONALLY THIS SYSTEM RECORDED THE SECOND LOWEST NUMBER OF PASSENEGERS PER YEAR ( 50 MILLIONS ANNUALLY).
IN GENERAL, TOKYO UNDERGROUND RAILWAY SYSTEMS BEGAN OPERATIONS IN 1927 WHICH IS CARRIED LARGEST ANNUAL PASSENGERS PER YEAR (1927 MILLIONS USERS). MOREOVER, PARIS UNDERGROUNF RAILWAYS SYSTEM, WHICH OPENDED IN 1900, WAS THE SECOND-OLDEST SYSTEM AFTER LONDON AND RECORED THE 1191 MILLION PASSENGERS ANNUALLY.
ON THE OTHER HAND, KYOTO HAD SMALLEST LENGTH OF ROUTE(11 KM).
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all key features of the table, including the oldest and newest systems, as well as the extremes in route length and passenger numbers. You have successfully identified and compared the data for all six cities. However, the report could be improved by grouping the data more logically rather than listing cities individually. For instance, comparing the older, established systems (London, Paris, Tokyo) against the newer, smaller systems (Washington DC, Kyoto, Los Angeles) would provide a more analytical overview. The inclusion of all necessary data points is clear, but the analysis remains somewhat descriptive rather than comparative.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'While', 'In general', and 'On the other hand'. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For example, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is a bit abrupt. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the paragraphing could be more balanced to ensure that the information is grouped by theme (e.g., age vs. size) rather than just listing cities, which would improve the overall progression of ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the data, such as 'annual passenger numbers', 'operations', and 'route'. However, there are several spelling errors ('ACCROSS', 'COMPAIRED', 'PASSENEGERS', 'UNDERGROUNF', 'OPENDED', 'RECORED') and some word choice issues, such as 'the chart demonstrated' (should be 'demonstrates') and 'is carried' (should be 'carried'). These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the information. To reach a higher band, focus on accurate spelling and more precise collocations when describing trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt to use relative clauses ('which is carried', 'which opened'), there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('THE TABLE CHART PROVIDE', 'SYSTEM HAD IN LONDON') and incorrect verb tenses. Additionally, the use of capitalization throughout the text is inappropriate and distracting. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for tense consistency would significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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