Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-12

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 delineates the data about the starting date, length (in kilometers) and the number of passengers commute every year (in millions) in the underground railway structures in London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.

Overall, commuters of Tokyo used the railway infrastructure the most followed by Paris and London while, other three countries recorded much lower figures. Moreover, London exhibited as the longest route in addition of being the oldest system. However, the length of routes reduced drastically over time.

Building on 1863, with 394 kilometers in length, there were 775 millions of commuters travelled in this railway system in London. after 37 years later, when the Paris constructed their systems. Although, the route (199 kilometers) was smaller than London, every year 1191 millions people used it. After the commencement in 1927, Tokyo witnessed a surge in passengers number with 1927 millions even though it was only 155 kilometers long.

Meanwhile, the figure of passengers number was considerably lower when Washington DC, Koyto and Los Angeles started the systems in 1976,1981 and 2001 with the route route length of 126 kilometers, 11 kilometers and 28 kilometers, it was 144 millions, 45 millions and 50 millions respectively. Kyoto registered as the smallest in commuters number and route among the other countries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task well by reporting the main features, selecting appropriate data points, and making direct comparisons between the underground systems. The overview paragraph successfully highlights Tokyo as having the highest passenger numbers and London as having the oldest and longest system. However, there are some inaccuracies in the interpretation of the data; for instance, the writer claims that the 'length of routes reduced drastically over time', which is not supported by the data—newer systems simply tend to have shorter routes rather than older systems shrinking. Additionally, there are minor factual slips in the body paragraphs, such as referring to cities as 'countries'. Despite these conceptual errors, the response satisfies the requirements for an overall summary, earning a band score of 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into four paragraphs, including a clear introduction and an overall summary. Information and ideas are arranged with a logical overall progression, moving from an overview of the table to specific details about the older systems, and finally to the newer, smaller systems. Cohesive devices are used throughout, such as 'Overall', 'Moreover', 'However', and 'Meanwhile', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or awkward, like 'Building on 1863'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and body details. However, referencing and transitional links occasionally lack smooth integration, justifying a score of 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'delineates', 'commute', 'infrastructure', and 'commencement'. However, there are several word choice errors and awkward collocations that limit the score. For example, the phrase 'passengers commute every year' should be 'passengers who commute' or 'passenger journeys'. Similarly, 'London exhibited as the longest route' is incorrect, as a city cannot exhibit a route. Words are also misused when referring to cities as 'countries' ('other three countries', 'among the other countries'). Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control is inconsistent, pointing to a band score of 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses introduced by 'although' and 'even though'. However, grammatical control is frequently shaky. There are noticeable errors in verb forms, prepositions, and sentence construction, such as 'Building on 1863, with 394 kilometers in length, there were 775 millions of commuters travelled' and 'after 37 years later, when the Paris constructed their systems'. Punctuation and dangling modifiers also create comprehension difficulties in places, such as the run-on structure in the final paragraph ('with the route route length of 126 kilometers... it was 144 millions... respectively'). These frequent errors place the response firmly in the band 5.0 category.

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