Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18
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 graphical representation depicts the information about the subway systems in six cities. It is in the form of table.
The cursory glance of the table depicts that the earliest underground railway system was opened in London in 1863 which covered the highest distance of 394 kilometres and passenger capacity of 775 millions per year. The Second subway system was opened in Paris in 1900, which covered distance of 199 kilometres and had second highest passenger capacity of 1191 millions per year.
The Tokyo subway station had highest passenger capacity, which was 1927 million per year and was opened in 27 years later from Paris. While, in Kyoto underground railway station which was opened in 1981, had the lowest distance covered with least passenger capacity of 45 millions per year . The latest subway station was opened in Los Angeles in 2001, which had the second least passenger capacity of 50 millions travellers per year and also second least distance of 28 kilometres per year.
All in all, the subway in Tokyo was having highest passenger capacity per year while the Kyoto was having least passenger capacity per year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the table, including the date opened, route length, and passenger numbers for all six cities. Appropriate comparisons are made, such as contrasting London's early opening and highest route length with Tokyo's highest passenger capacity and Kyoto's minimal statistics. Key data points are correctly identified and contrasted. However, there is a minor factual slip in the third paragraph regarding Los Angeles, where the student describes 'second least distance of 28 kilometres per year', which incorrectly applies the 'per year' unit to distance. Nevertheless, the overall response effectively selects and summarises the main trends, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0, and is best placed at Band 6.5 due to minor inaccuracies in data reporting.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is logically organised into an introduction, body paragraphs addressing different cities, and a brief concluding summary. Information is arranged chronologically and topically, helping the reader follow the main trends. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'The cursory glance', 'The Second subway system', 'While', and 'All in all'. However, some cohesive links and transitional phrases are a bit mechanical or awkward, such as 'The cursory glance of the table depicts' or 'opened in 27 years later from Paris'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the text, but the overall logical progression could be smoother and more sophisticated. This places the response firmly within the Band 6 category.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing statistical data and transport systems, using terms like 'subway systems', 'passenger capacity', and 'distance covered'. There are, however, several lexical and collocational errors or awkward expressions, such as 'The cursory glance' (instead of 'A cursory glance'), 'distance of 28 kilometres per year' (applying a time unit to a static measurement), and repetitive use of 'passenger capacity' and 'opened'. While spelling is generally accurate, the vocabulary choices lack the flexibility and precision required for higher bands, making Band 6.0 an appropriate score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses ('which covered the highest distance', 'which was opened in 1981') and subordinate clauses. However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, such as missing articles ('It is in form of table', 'The Tokyo subway station had highest passenger capacity'), awkward prepositions ('opened in 27 years later from Paris'), and an incomplete or ungrammatical comparison structure ('the Kyoto underground railway station... had the lowest distance covered'). Despite these errors, meaning is generally clear and communication is not severely impeded, justifying a Band 6.0 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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