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 illustrates the data regarding the underground railway system in six cities namely: London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.

Overall, it is evident that Tokyo accounted for the highest number of passengers whereas Kyoto constituted the least.

In the provided data, in 1863 London opened an underground railway station and had the highest share of kilometers of route with 775 million passengers per year. After that Paris opened a station in 1900 with 199 kilometers and depicted the second highest numbers of passengers that is 1191. However, Tokyo started it in 1927 and have the highest ratio of travelers 1927 million in year 1927.

Furthermore, in 1976 Washington DC set a station and only 144 million people travelled through this subway and witnessed 126 kilometers. Similarly, Kyoto started in 1981 and run only 11 kilometers with 45 million individuals. Los Angeles started in 2001 with 50 million passengers per year and 28 kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the table and making relevant comparisons. You provide an overview in the second sentence, noting that Tokyo had the highest number of passengers and Kyoto the least. You select key data points such as opening dates, route lengths, and passenger numbers for cities like London, Paris, and Tokyo. However, there are some misinterpretations and factual inaccuracies in your reporting of the data. For instance, you state that London had '775 million passengers per year' in 1863, whereas the table indicates 1863 was the date opened and 775 is the passenger figure. Similarly, you claim Tokyo had '1927 million in year 1927' (mixing up the opening year and the passenger count of 1,927 million). These errors limit the clarity of your response and prevent a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

Your response is organized into four paragraphs, including a brief introduction and an overall statement. There is an attempt to create logical progression by moving chronologically or by city comparison, utilizing cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'After that', 'However', and 'Furthermore'. However, the referencing and linking of ideas sometimes become confused due to syntax issues. For example, starting paragraphs with phrases like 'In the provided data, in 1863 London opened...' leads to a slightly cluttered flow. Paragraphing is present, but the internal cohesion of the body paragraphs is occasionally mechanical and strained, which places this response comfortably at the Band 6 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to discuss dates, distances, and passenger numbers. You attempt some less common vocabulary items such as 'constituted', 'accounted for', 'ratio', and 'witnessed'. However, some word choices are unnatural or inaccurate, such as using 'witnessed' for route length ('witnessed 126 kilometers') and 'run' for Kyoto's railway ('run only 11 kilometers'). There are also occasional phrasing issues like 'set a station'. These lexical inaccuracies and limited control over collocations mean the vocabulary is sufficient for the task but lacks precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and tense inconsistencies throughout the text. For instance, you write 'Tokyo started it in 1927 and have the highest ratio' (tense shift from past 'started' to present 'have') and 'Washington DC set a station and only 144 million people travelled through this subway and witnessed 126 kilometers' (awkward coordination and verb choice). Punctuation is generally okay, but the accumulation of grammatical inaccuracies causes occasional difficulty for the reader.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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