Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-26
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 underground railway systems in six different towns.
Overall, it can be clearly seen that the oldest underground railway system was situated in London, while the newest underground railway system was at Los Angeles.
In london, the underground railway system was opened in 1863, which comprised 394 kilometers of route, becoming the longest route among 6 cities and had 775 millions passengers per year. The underground railway system of Tokyo opened in 1927, having 155 kilometer of route transported 1927 passengers per year, which was the highest among six different cities. The underground railway of Paris ranked second,accounted for 199 kilometer of route, having 1191 passengers per year in the year 1900.
Kyoto and Los Angeles was the least popular underground railway system as it was opened in 1981 and 2001, stood at 11 and 28 kilometers of route, measuring 45 and 50 passengers per year respectively. The opening date of Washington DC was 1976, recorded 126 kilometers of route, having 144 passengers per year.
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 response successfully covers all columns of the table—cities, opening dates, route lengths, and passenger numbers—and incorporates valid comparisons such as noting London as the longest route and Tokyo as having the highest passenger volume. The overview accurately identifies the oldest and newest systems. However, there are minor data inaccuracies in the body paragraphs, such as stating that Tokyo transported '1927 passengers per year' (misinterpreting the million unit) and claiming that Kyoto and Los Angeles 'measur[ed] 45 and 50 passengers per year'. Despite these data misinterpretations, the main features are sufficiently reported and supported with comparisons, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged logically with an introduction, an overview, and grouped body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'while', and 'respectively'. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak, with a very dense second body paragraph attempting to pack multiple cities and metrics together. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as using 'it' when referring to plural or compound subjects like 'Kyoto and Los Angeles was'. Overall arrangement is coherent, but referencing and paragraph structuring place this firmly in the Band 6.0 category.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate vocabulary range appropriate for describing tabular data, employing terms like 'comprised', 'transported', 'accounted for', and 'ranked second'. There are noticeable errors in word choice and data units, such as omitting the word 'million' after passenger figures (e.g., 'having 1927 passengers per year' instead of millions). Some prepositional and collocation errors also occur, such as 'at Los Angeles' instead of 'in Los Angeles'. These inaccuracies do not entirely impede communication, placing the lexical performance at Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses such as 'which comprised 394 kilometers' and 'which was the highest'. However, there are several grammatical errors and instances of poor agreement, such as 'Kyoto and Los Angeles was' instead of 'were', and missing articles or pluralisation issues like '155 kilometer of route'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and errors rarely impede communication, aligning well with the Band 6.0 descriptors for grammatical range and accuracy.
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