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 given table illustrates the statistics of the underground railway systems in six cities.
It contains the information of railway systems in different cities, shows the data for the length of the route of the train and passengers travelled per year, for six different cities which includes London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto, and Los Angeles.
London, which opened in 1863, has the route of 394 kilometers and it carried 775 passengers, whereas Paris, which opened after it in 1900, has relatively shorter route of 199 kilometers. Moreover, it carried more passengers than the London train.
Furthermore, in 1927, Tokyo rail line started with a shorter route of 155 km and it has the highest number of passengers travelled which is 1927.
In contrast to this, the Kyoto train line, opened in 1981, it carried the lowest number of passengers which is 45.
While, London train has the longest route of 394 km among all , the Kyoto train has the shortest route of 11 km.
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 student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features from the table regarding date opened, route length, and passenger numbers for the six cities. Key comparisons are made, such as contrasting London's longest route with Kyoto's shortest route, and pointing out Tokyo's high passenger volume. However, there are minor inaccuracies in reporting data; for example, the student states that London carried '775 passengers' instead of 775 million, which slightly misrepresents the data due to omission of the unit. Additionally, the overview could be more explicitly highlighted to capture the overall trends more effectively. Nevertheless, the response clearly addresses the prompt requirements, placing it well within the Band 6.0 to 6.5 range. With more precise data reporting and a clearer overview, it would reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to group and sequence the data logically, starting with an introduction and moving through specific city comparisons. Paragraphing is used to separate different points, though paragraphs are somewhat short and disjointed, particularly the final one-sentence paragraph. Cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'moreover', 'furthermore', and 'in contrast to this' are employed, but some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, though the progression between ideas could be smoother. The structure provides a clear logical flow overall, supporting a Band 6.0 score.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing statistical data and table information, using terms such as 'illustrates', 'statistics', 'route', and 'passengers'. There are some attempts to use less common vocabulary, but word choice is occasionally imprecise, such as 'passengers travelled' instead of 'passenger journeys', and omitting the crucial scale unit 'million' when discussing passenger numbers. Spelling is generally accurate throughout the response. The lexical range is sufficient for the task and meets the criteria for Band 6.0, as the vocabulary adequately conveys the main points without impeding communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including relative clauses ('which opened in 1863', 'which includes London') and comparative structures. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'It contains the information of railway systems in different cities, shows the data for the length of the route of the train and passengers travelled per year...' which contains run-on tendencies and preposition issues. Another error occurs in 'the Kyoto train line, opened in 1981, it carried the lowest number...', which introduces an unnecessary pronoun. However, despite these recurring errors, punctuation and sentence structures do not impede overall communication, supporting a Band 6.0 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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