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 given chart illustrates a comparison of data regarding subsurface railway mechanisms in six cities.
Overall, Tokyo has more number of travellers per anum then remaining cities. However, Koyoto has less number of commuters among given cities.
In 1863,the first subterranean railway track is opened in London.The length of entire track was around 394 kilometre. Moreover, there were 775 million persons were travelled by that train in London.The Paris rilway station constructed in 1900 and the expansion of their route was aroound 199 km. There were 1191 million citizens travellled by paris train.The Tokyo train was established in 1927 where their route was 155 km in length.There were more passengers in that train as compared to train in different cities.In Washington D.C. underground railway station was constructed in 1976 where the length of total path was 126 km. Koyoto and Los Angeles train stations were built around 1981 and 2001 respectively.The number of passengers were around 45 and 50 millions per year calender in these cities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to address the task by reporting the main features of the table, such as identifying Tokyo as having the highest passenger numbers and Kyoto as having the lowest. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, although it contains typos ('anum', 'Koyoto'). While the details for cities like London, Paris, and Tokyo are mentioned, the reporting is somewhat mechanical, listing data point by point rather than selecting and comparing effectively. Furthermore, some data points are slightly inaccurate or confusingly stated, such as 'there were 775 million persons were travelled'. Overall, the response meets the basic requirements of Task 1 by covering all cities, but the development and comparison of main features remain limited, aligning it with a Band 5.5 descriptor profile.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into an introduction, a brief overview, and a detailed body paragraph. However, paragraphing could be improved by separating the cities into distinct thematic or chronological groups rather than bunching all the detailed data into one dense block. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes misused, for instance, the transition 'Moreover' and 'However' do not always connect ideas smoothly. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'their route' or 'that train', where pronoun antecedents become confused. There is an attempt at logical organization, but the overall progression lacks sophistication, leading to a Band 5.5 score for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for a basic summary, employing terms like 'subsurface railway mechanisms', 'commuters', and 'route'. However, there are notable lexical errors and spelling mistakes throughout the text, such as 'anum' (annum), 'Koyoto' (Kyoto), 'rilway', and 'calender'. The range of vocabulary is limited, and attempts at less common phrasing often result in awkward collocation or grammatical mismatch, such as 'persons were travelled' and 'expansion of their route'. While communication is not entirely impeded, the frequent lexical inaccuracies and spelling slips cap the score at Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses ('where their route was 155 km in length') and time clauses ('In 1863, the first...'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent structural errors. Examples include passive-active confusion ('the first subterranean railway track is opened', 'persons were travelled', 'citizens travellled'), missing articles ('in London', 'in Paris'), and tense inconsistencies. These errors cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and demonstrate weak control over basic and complex structures alike, placing this criterion at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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