Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-22
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 shows the information about underground railway systems in six major cities around the world. Units are measured in kilometers and millions
Overall, the largest route built for underground railway system is in London, which was first invented than in other countries. Los Angeles railway system marked the least number of passengers travelling within smallest range of area.
Between 1863 to 1927, there is significant increase in number of passengers. London first initiated underground railway in 1863 with range of 394 kilometers, accounting 775 passengers annually. The capital city of France established railways in 1900 with 199 kilometer distance, whereas Tokyo is the only city in which large number passengers, that is 1927 million travelling every year surpassing every other city.
In United States of America, Washington DC opened underground railway in 1976 with 126 kilometer range. However, the number of people travelling in Washington DC is almost three times of passengers commuting in Los Angeles, which started underground railway in 2001. Kyoto began its railway infrastructure line with only 11 kilometer distance.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to summarise the main features of the table, successfully identifying the largest route in London, the highest passenger numbers in Tokyo, and contrasting extremes like Kyoto and Los Angeles. However, there are several inaccurate data interpretations and omissions. For instance, the student states that Tokyo has '1927 million travelling every year' but misses the context that Tokyo's date opened and passenger numbers share a numerical coincidence in the raw data, resulting in slight imprecision. Furthermore, comparisons are sometimes vague, such as stating 'Between 1863 to 1927, there is significant increase in number of passengers', which misinterprets the static date values as a chronological growth trend. Nonetheless, an overview is attempted and key extremes are highlighted, satisfying the basic requirements for a Band 5.5 to 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into four paragraphs, including an introduction and a concluding body discussion. There is a basic overall progression, starting with general highlights and moving into specific city details. However, logical organization is somewhat compromised by questionable grouping; for example, grouping cities purely by date ranges rather than geographic or statistical similarity feels a bit forced. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes mechanically or awkwardly, such as 'whereas Tokyo is the only city in which large number passengers' and 'However, the number of people travelling...'. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within paragraphs occasionally lacks smooth transitions. This reflects the characteristics of a Band 6 performance.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'underground railway systems', 'annually', and 'infrastructure line'. However, there are frequent word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'first invented than in other countries' (instead of built or established), 'range of area' (instead of network size), and omitting necessary prepositions ('accounting 775 passengers' instead of 'accounting for'). Spelling is generally acceptable, but lexical control is limited, and attempts at less common vocabulary occasionally result in awkward phrasing. These issues place the lexical resource firmly at a Band 5.5, rounded to a 6.0 for adequate task coverage.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('which was first invented than in other countries' and 'where Tokyo is the only city in which...'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent missing articles ('the largest route built for underground railway system', 'with range of 394 kilometers'), preposition errors ('Between 1863 to 1927' instead of 'From... to...'), and tense or voice confusion ('was first invented'). While these errors do not completely obscure meaning, they occur frequently enough to impede smooth reading in places, aligning well with the Band 5.5 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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