Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-29
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 details about facility of underground railway system among six cities.
Overall, it can be seen that underground railway system is introduced in different cities in different years. The longest route was started in London and the pessengers in Tokyo got maximum benefit, while the shortest route and lowest pessengers recorded in Kyoto.
In London, railway system was introduced first time in 1863 for 394 kilometres and the recorded number of passenger was 775 millions. In 1900, railway system started also in Paris for 199 kilometres long route, distance was less than in London but the pessengers were nearly doubled, it was 1191 millions. After that, in Tokyo underground railway started in 1927 with 155 kilometres distance, when 1927 pessengers travelled through underground railway.
In Washington DC, this facility was started in 1976, with less distance 126 kilometres and 144 million pessengers have used that service. In Kyoto, service started in 1981 with the lowest distance in comparision to all other cities, it was just for 11 kilometres only and the only 45 millions pessenger have got benefit with this service. Los Angeles have begun this facility in 2001 for 28 kilometres and 50 million pessengers have got benefit.
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 covers all key aspects of the table, comparing the date opened, kilometers of route, and annual passenger numbers across the six cities. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting key extremes such as London having the longest route, Tokyo having the highest passenger numbers, and Kyoto recording the shortest route and lowest passengers. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, the student states that 1927 passengers travelled in Tokyo, misinterpreting the year 1927 as the number of passengers (whereas the correct figure is 1,927 million). Despite this misinterpretation of a single data point, the main features are successfully selected and reported, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0. Given the overall clear selection of data, it meets Band 6 well.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is structured logically with an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs detailing the older and newer systems. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall, it can be seen that', 'In London', and 'After that'. However, paragraphing and referencing are occasionally mechanical, and transitions between sentences can feel slightly abrupt. For example, the sentence 'In Tokyo underground railway started in 1927 with 155 kilometres distance, when 1927 pessengers travelled through underground railway' links clauses clumsily. Overall arrangement is coherent and progression is apparent throughout, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'maximum benefit', 'route', and 'comparision'. However, there are frequent spelling errors throughout the text, most notably 'pessengers' instead of 'passengers', as well as collocation and word choice inaccuracies such as 'facility of underground railway system' and 'distance was less than'. These errors do not impede overall communication, but they restrict the lexical score to Band 5.5 or 6.0. Because the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the core information despite persistent spelling flaws, a score of 6.0 is appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as using subordinate clauses introduced by 'when' and 'while'. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors throughout the response, including missing articles ('The longest route was started in London and the pessengers...'), tense inconsistencies ('railway system was introduced first time' instead of 'for the first time'), and awkward prepositional phrases ('got benefit with this service'). While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching Band 6.5, making Band 6 a fair reflection of the control shown.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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