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 compares the data regarding the opening, route length in kilometers and the passengers per year of the underground railway systems in six cities, namely London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.
Overall, the London railway system has the longest route inagurated in 1863. Whereas, Tokyo's railway system is the most populated one. Kyoto has the shortest route with least amount of passengers travelling per year.
The London's train system was opened in 1863. It is the largest railway station compared to others carring 775 million passengers every year. After that in 1900, Paris railway system was inagurated with the route of 199 kilometers which is half campared to London's. Although, 1191 million passengers travel by it. Whereas, in Tokyo, it was constructed in 1927 with a route of 155 kilometers long, 1927 million travelers uses this train system. Therefore, it is the most populated train system.
In 1976, the railway system of Washington DC was opened. It has a 126 kilometers long track with 144 million people using it. Kyoto has the shortest track of 11 kilometers carring 45 million passengers only. In 2001, the most recent railway system was opened in Los Angeles with a track of 28 kilometers which is longer than Kyoto's train system with 50 million passengers per 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 | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the underground railway systems in the six cities. Key data points such as opening dates, route lengths, and passenger numbers are accurately cited and compared. For instance, the student correctly highlights that London has the longest route and Tokyo carries the highest number of passengers, whilst Kyoto has the shortest route and lowest passenger volume. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the main trends as required by the task. The information is selected appropriately, and comparisons are integrated throughout the text, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0 in Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is structured into four paragraphs, including a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs detailing the specific cities. Information is generally organised in a logical sequence, moving systematically through the data provided in the table. However, cohesion is occasionally mechanical and repetitive, relying heavily on basic time markers and transitions such as 'After that', 'Although', and 'Whereas'. Referencing is sometimes slightly unclear, such as the pronoun use in 'in Tokyo, it was constructed'. Paragraphing is used adequately to group information, but transitions between ideas could be smoother and more varied to achieve a higher band.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to accurately report numerical data and features like 'route length', 'passengers per year', and 'track'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'inagurated' (spelled incorrectly as inagurated/inaugurated), 'constructed', and 'populated'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('inagurated', 'carring', 'campared') and word choice inaccuracies, such as describing Tokyo's system as 'the most populated' rather than the one with the highest passenger volume. These errors do not impede communication, placing the response firmly at Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using relative clauses and subordinate conjunctions (e.g., 'which is half campared to London's', 'wherever, in Tokyo, it was constructed...'). While there is a good variety of structures attempted, there are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors, including incorrect prepositions ('travel by it' instead of 'travel on it'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing ('with the route of 199 kilometers'). Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout, and communication is not impeded, which aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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