Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-25
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 represent data about the underground railway systems in six cities with category of opened date , route distance and passengers per year.
Overall, London had early opened and Los Angeles late opened, London had the biggest route and Kyoto had the smallest route. Tokyo had the most passenger travel per year and Kyoto had the least passenger travel per year
London had opened in 1863 with the highest range of 394 kilometre and accounted 775 million passenger per year. Paris had opened in 1900 with route of 199 kilometre and and accounted 1191 passenger per year. Tokyo had opened in 1927 with the range of 155 kilometre and the largest capacity to travel 1927 million passenger in year, Washing ton DC had opened after 49 years which had 1927 million passenger travel capacity per year with 126 kilometre of route. Kyoto had opened in 1981 with the least distance 11 kilometre of route and 45 million passengers travel per year. Los Angeles had late opened in 2001 with 28 kilometre of route and 50 million passengers travel capacity per year
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the table, including the date opened, route distance, and annual passenger numbers. Key comparisons are made across the six cities, such as highlighting London as having the earliest opening and the longest route, while Tokyo had the highest passenger volume. However, there are some data inaccuracies and misinterpretations in the body paragraphs; for instance, the writer claims that Washington DC had '1927 million passenger travel capacity', which confuses Tokyo's passenger figure with Washington DC's data. Despite these data transfer errors, an overview is provided and the key trends are identified, placing this response at Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organised into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and a detailed body paragraph. Cohesion is attempted through basic linking devices and sequencing, but the overall progression is sometimes hindered by abrupt transitions and dense listing of data. Paragraphing is present, though the body paragraph becomes a lengthy, single block of text that is difficult to navigate. Referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in the confusing compilation of facts in the third paragraph. Overall, the organisation shows some clear structure, but cohesive devices are mechanical and inadequate for higher bands, leading to a score of 5.5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, relying heavily on terms directly copied from the prompt such as 'date opened', 'route distance', and 'passengers per year'. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'early opened', 'late opened', and 'passenger travel capacity'. Spelling and word formation are generally functional, but vocabulary limitations and lack of precision prevent the writer from achieving a higher band. The lexical range is minimally adequate for the task, meeting the criteria for Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing articles ('in year'), incorrect prepositions, tense confusion ('had opened' used repeatedly where simple past is more appropriate), and subject-verb agreement issues ('The table represent'). Punctuation is also sparse, lacking commas to separate clauses. Although meaning can generally be deciphered, the high frequency of errors causes strain for the reader, placing this performance firmly at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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