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 provided table illustrates the statistics about the inauguration dates and number of passengers of an underground railway system in six metropolitan cities namely London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.
At first glance, it is evident that people who used underground railway system accounted for the highest rate in Paris while Kyoto represents the lowest passenger rate per year.
Regarding Tokyo, underground railway system opened in 1927, experienced the largest number of passengers per year which is 1927 million, Followed closely by 1191 million consumers annually in Paris. Furthermore, the passengers using London railway system stood at 775 million, opened in 1863.
In 1976, 144 million individuals used underground railway system. Subsequently, in Los Angeles 50 million people used public transportation opened in 2001. Lastly, 45 million passengers represent using railway station. Simultaneously, London accounted for the largest route at 394 kilometers.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student provides an overview and attempts to report the main features and make comparisons, mentioning cities like London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto, and Los Angeles. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, the student states that Tokyo had a passenger count of 1927 million, which actually corresponds to the opening year (1927), misreading the table data. Furthermore, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement, containing only 145 words. This results in a penalty for under-length, meaning the task is only partially addressed in terms of word count and accurate data selection.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a discernible overall structure, beginning with an introductory statement and attempting to group information. However, the organization breaks down quickly, and there is a lack of clear progression. The paragraphing is weak, with multiple distinct ideas crammed into a poorly structured main body. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or repetitively (e.g., 'At first glance', 'Regarding Tokyo', 'Furthermore', 'Subsequently', 'Lastly', 'Simultaneously'). Referencing is also confusing at times, such as 'public transportation opened in 2001', which interrupts the flow of logical connections between sentences.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'inauguration', 'metropolitan cities', and 'consumers annually'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'highest rate in Paris', 'passenger rate per year', and 'represent using railway station' instead of representing passenger volume. Word choice errors occur, but they do not completely impede communication. Spelling and word formation are generally acceptable.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('people who used underground railway system') and participial phrases ('opened in 1863'). However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'people who used underground railway system accounted for the highest rate' (missing articles) and '45 million passengers represent using railway station'. Punctuation is also clumsy in places, but overall the errors rarely impede basic communication.
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