Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-30
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 below illustrates about the underground railway systems in six cities which are London, Paris , Tokyo, Washington Dc , Kyoto , Los Angeles
London is the oldest city where railway system was build first and it started during 1863 with a route of 394 km all over the city and passengers travelled per year through railway system of london is approx 775 million. Los Angles is the newest city to get introduced with metro and stated during 2001 with only a route of 28 km and passengers only 50 million per year.
The station with highets km railway route is of London with 394 km and comes
Paris with 199 km then Tokyo with 155 km followed by Washinton Dc 126 km . Los angeles with 28 km and at last comes Kyoto with only 11km
The railways station with highets passenger rate is of Tokyo with 1927 millon then Paris with 1191 million followed by London 775 million then comes Washington Dc at 144 million and Kyoto and Los Angeles with only 45 and 50 million
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 response covers all key information presented in the table, identifying the six cities, their opening dates, route lengths, and annual passenger numbers. The student selects and reports main features, successfully making comparisons between the oldest and newest systems, as well as contrasting the networks with the highest route kilometers and highest passenger volumes. Although the overview is essentially integrated into the body paragraphs rather than clearly demarcated, all parts of the prompt are addressed adequately. Ideas are generally supported by accurate references to the data provided in the table. The response meets the task requirements well for a band 6.0 performance.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognizable overall structure, attempting to group information by introduction, route length, and passenger numbers. However, the paragraphing is underdeveloped, and some paragraphs run together or lack proper transitions. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes repetitive (e.g., 'then', 'followed by', 'and comes'). Referencing can also be slightly unclear at times, such as 'The station with highets km railway route is of London'. The logical progression is somewhat hindered by a lack of sophisticated linking words and punctuation, but the overall arrangement remains coherent enough to follow without excessive difficulty.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'underground railway systems', 'route', and 'passengers per year'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('highets', 'millon', 'stated' instead of started) and awkward lexical choices (e.g., 'passengers travelled per year through railway system'). The vocabulary is generally functional and sufficient to convey the basic message, but the limitations in precision and word formation prevent it from reaching a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent missing articles ('the oldest city where railway system was build'), tense inconsistencies ('railway system was build'), and run-on sentences with poor punctuation. Several sentences lack main verbs or rely on fragmented structures, such as 'The station with highets km railway route is of London with 394 km and comes Paris with 199 km'. While some sentences are clear, the accumulation of grammatical errors causes occasional strain for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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