Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-17
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 graph represents the information about the undergrpund railway system in six cities. The given period of 1863 to 2001.
To commence with, it is noticeable that first of all London underground railway was opened in 1863, making it the oldest system in the table. It has a total route length of 394 kilometres and serves 775 million passengers annually. Secondly, Paris was oprated in 1900 has a 199 kilometres route and 1191 million passengers and Tokyo was setup in 1927 and has a route length of 155 kilometres and passengers at 1927 millions. However, Washington DC was established in 1976 has a route length of 126 and 144 millions passengers. Finally, Kyoto and Los angeles was opened in 1981 and 2001 and has a route length of both at 11 and 28 or total passengers in both 45 and 50 millions.
Overall, London has the oldest and longest underground railway system, while Tokyo carries the highest number of passenger per year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully selects and reports the main features of the table, including opening dates, route lengths, and annual passenger numbers. Key comparisons are made, such as identifying London as having the oldest and longest system and Tokyo as carrying the highest number of passengers. However, there are minor factual slips in reporting the data, such as stating Tokyo has passengers at '1927 millions' (which confuses the opening year with the passenger count) and slight miscalculations regarding Kyoto and Los Angeles. Despite these minor data-handling issues, all parts of the prompt are addressed, supporting an overall band score of 6.0 according to the descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is structured into an introduction, body paragraph, and overall summary, providing a coherent overall arrangement. However, the progression is sometimes hampered by poor sentence structure and a lack of smooth cohesive devices. The second paragraph attempts to list multiple cities in a single, run-on sentence ('Secondly, Paris was oprated in 1900 has a...'), which makes the flow mechanical and confusing. Referencing and conjunctions are awkwardly handled, pulling the coherence down. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion needs significant improvement. This aligns with Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'railway system', 'annually', 'route length', and 'established'. There are, however, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'undergrpund' and 'oprated'. Furthermore, vocabulary is occasionally imprecise or awkwardly collated, such as 'passengers at 1927 millions' due to a mix-up with the date. While communication is generally maintained, the frequency of lexical slips and basic limitations in precise reporting cap the score at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly missing verbs and incorrect relative clauses, such as 'Washington DC was established in 1976 has a route length' and 'Kyoto and Los angeles was opened... and has a route length of both at 11'. Punctuation is also lacking in places, leading to run-on sentences. Because errors are frequent and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, the response fits the Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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