Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-15
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 shows the information about the underground railyway systems in six cities.
Overall, London railways opened earlier in 1863 and covered the highest route of 394 kilometers along with 775 passengers, while compared to the Kyoto opened in 1981 but it covered only 11 kilometers route with 45 passengers only.
On a closer observation, it can be seen that London city opened earlier and covered a highest route approxmetely 394 kilometers along with 775 passengers, While the other side Los Angeles opened in the of 2001 and covered the lowest route approx 28 kilometers with 50 passengers.
Additionally, Paris underground railyways opened in the year of 1900 and it ruins approxmetely 199 kilometers with 1191 passengers, Moreover Tokyo railways also opened in 1927 and railyway route covered 155 kilometers with 1927 passengers.
Other than that compared with Kyoto, Washington DC opened in the year 1976 and the route of the railway covered highest 126 kilometers along with 144 passenegers but Kyoto covered 11 kilometes with 45 passenegers.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully covers all parts of the task by selecting, reporting, and comparing the main features of the underground railway systems across the six cities. Key data points such as opening dates, route lengths, and annual passenger numbers are accurately identified and integrated. For instance, the response highlights London as having the earliest opening date and longest route, alongside comparisons with Kyoto and Los Angeles. However, there are minor data inaccuracies in the text, such as stating London had '775 passengers' instead of '775 million', and misinterpreting Tokyo's passenger volume. Despite these minor lapses, an overview is provided, satisfying the core requirements for an Academic Task 1 response, earning a band score of 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into multiple paragraphs, attempting to group information logically by city features. However, the overall organisation is somewhat repetitive and disjointed, with phrases like 'On a closer observation' and 'Other than that compared with Kyoto' creating a slightly mechanical feel. Cohesive devices are used, but referencing is occasionally unclear or clunky (e.g., 'while compared to the Kyoto opened in 1981'). Paragraphing is present, but the flow between sentences and paragraphs lacks smooth progression. Therefore, the coherence and cohesion reflect a Band 5.5 performance, showing clear attempts at logical structuring but hindered by repetitive transitions and imprecise referencing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to communicate information about dates, distances, and passenger counts. However, there are notable lexical errors and inappropriate word choices, such as 'railyway' (railway), 'ruins' instead of 'runs', and misspelling 'approxmetely'. While the student attempts less common vocabulary, inaccuracies in spelling and collocation occasionally distract the reader, though they do not completely impede understanding. Phrases like 'highest route' are also unnatural collocations for describing distance. This matches the Band 5.5 descriptor, where vocabulary is minimally adequate with noticeable errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating comparative clauses such as 'while compared to the Kyoto opened in 1981'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring frequent errors such as missing prepositions, tense confusion, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'Los Angeles opened in the of 2001' and 'the route of the railway covered highest 126 kilometers'). Punctuation is also erratic, with unnecessary capitalisation ('While') and comma splices. Because these errors occur frequently and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, the grammar performance aligns closely with a Band 5.0 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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