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 illustrates the data about the underground railway systems in six cities.
Overall, the table shows the information about underground railway systems when it opened and how many kilometers of route it contains and the number of passengers per year (in millions). The first underground railway system opened in 1863 by london and other railway systems opens after nineteens. While, Tokyo is highest in the numbers of passengers per year (in miilions ).
Among the all six cities, the table shows the 3 cities which hs opened earlier than the others and are highest in the number of passengers per year as well as in the kilometers of route. London's underground railway system opened in 1863 and has the longest route, at 394 kilometres. However, it carries fewer passengers per year than the systems in Paris and Tokyo.. Tokyo opened in 1927 and have the largest number of passengers per year that is 1927 in millions and 155 kilometers of routes it covered. Where as, Paris opened its railway system in 1900 , covers route of 199 kilometers and the number of passengers travelling per year is 1191.
Other cities that is Washington Dc opened its underground railway system in 1976 , covers 126 kilometers of routes and 144 passengers per year(in million). While kyoto opened in 1981 and Los Angeles in 2001 , only covers 11 to 28 kitlometers and 45 to 50 passengers per year (in millions).
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the underground railway systems in the six cities, while making relevant comparisons. The overview captures key trends, such as the earliest opening date in London and Tokyo having the highest passenger numbers. Details regarding route length, opening dates, and annual passenger volumes for cities like London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto, and Los Angeles are presented accurately based on the table. However, there is a minor tendency to group information in a slightly convoluted way, and some figures are phrased awkwardly, such as stating 'Tokyo opened in 1927 and have the largest number of passengers per year that is 1927 in millions'. Despite these minor flaws, all major features are covered well, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0, and is safely awarded a 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression, dividing the overview, the larger/older systems, and the smaller/newer systems into distinct paragraphs. Paragraphing is used sufficiently. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical, repetitive, or awkward, as seen with phrases like 'Among the all six cities' and 'Other cities that is Washington Dc'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and logical links between sentences can feel disjointed. For instance, the transition between discussing London and Tokyo in the second paragraph lacks smooth bridging. Because the progression is clear overall despite faulty and repetitive cohesion in places, the response fits the Band 6 descriptor well.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to data reporting and transit systems, such as 'underground railway systems', 'route', and 'passengers per year'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, spelling ('miilions', 'kitlometers'), and word form ('hs opened', 'opens after nineteens'). Collocations are sometimes awkward, such as 'covers route of 199 kilometers'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they demonstrate limitations in lexical control that prevent the response from reaching Band 7. The vocabulary used is sufficient for a Band 6 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate structures like 'While, Tokyo is highest...' and 'Where as, Paris opened its railway system...'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Tokyo... have', 'railway systems opens', 'Kyoto... only covers 11 to 28 kitlometers and 45 to 50 passengers'), punctuation errors (spacing before commas), and capitalization issues ('london', 'Washington Dc'). Complex sentences are often faulty in execution. Because errors in grammar and punctuation occur regularly throughout the text, the response aligns best with the Band 5 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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