Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-28
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 information below insulates an overveiw of underground railway network in six different cities.
Overall, London has the oldest and longest railway route. While, Tokyo has greater number of passenger than other cities. However, Kyoto has the shortest route and fewest passengers.
London, underground railway system opened in 1863, and has a total route of 394 kilometers, and its serving 775 millions passengers per year. Paris, which is opened in 1900, has a 199 kilometer network and assisting 1191 millions passengers in one year. Tokyo, that has been opened in 1927, is shorter at 155 kilometres but has the highest passenger figure, at 1927 million per year.
The three more recently open system are considered as smaller. Washington DC, opened in 1976, and it contain a route of 126 kilometers, and offering 144 millions passengers anuually. kyoto, network is opened in 1981, and it is only 11 kilometer long, carring 45 millions passengers in whole year. Finally, Los Angeles has a 28 kilometers long route that opened in 2001 and offering 50 millions passengers in each 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 | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student successfully covers all parts of the prompt by presenting an overview of the six underground railway systems and making relevant comparisons regarding date opened, route length, and passenger numbers. The introduction states the purpose of the table, and an overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting London's age and route length, Tokyo's passenger volume, and Kyoto's extremes. Key data points are selected and reported appropriately, such as Tokyo having the highest passenger figure of 1927 million despite being shorter. While there are a few minor typos in data reporting (e.g., '775 millions' instead of million), the main features are clearly identified and contrasted, satisfying the requirements for Band 6.5, which aligns closely with Band 6 descriptors for addressing all parts of the task with relevant main features.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure separating the introduction, overview, and detailed body points. Logical progression is attempted, moving from the oldest/largest to more recent systems. However, cohesion is frequently mechanical and flawed. For instance, the use of transition words like 'While' and 'However' is grammatically incorrect in context (e.g., 'While, Tokyo has greater number...'). Furthermore, referencing and logical transitions between sentences show awkwardness, such as in the third paragraph ('London, underground railway system opened in 1863, and has...'). Paragraphing is used sufficiently, but mechanical errors in cohesive devices and referencing place this clearly at a Band 5.5 to 6.0 level.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to transportation and statistics, such as 'network', 'route', 'kilometers', and 'passengers'. However, there are numerous noticeable lexical and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'insulates' instead of 'illustrates', 'overveiw', 'anuually', and 'carring'. Additionally, word forms and pluralization are sometimes incorrect, such as '775 millions passengers' and 'recently open system'. While these vocabulary errors and typos do not severely impede overall communication, they restrict the lexical score, reflecting a performance typical of Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses such as 'which is opened in 1900' and 'that has been opened in 1927'. However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent, with frequent errors in verb tense, passive/active voice, and subject-verb agreement. Examples include 'is opened' instead of 'opened', 'its serving' instead of 'it serves', and run-on structures joined improperly by commas and conjunctions ('Washington DC, opened in 1976, and it contain...'). These frequent non-systematic errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader and prevent the response from achieving a Band 6, placing it firmly at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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