Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-03
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 represents the information about the underground rail transportation systems in six major cities.
Overall, London is the first city to introduce railway systems in 1863 with longest railway tracks . Tokyo carries the largest number of passengers with highest passengers to kilometers ratio. Kyoto and Los Angeles are the lowest in terms of both lengths and passengers.
London ,being the oldest railway established in 1863 accounts almost around 2 passengers to kilometers ratio with just 775 millions passengers in 394 km route. In 1900, Paris started the railway with nearly half length of London railway track carrying 1191 millions passengers per year. Tokyo, opened in 1927 carries the highest passengers per year among all the cities with 1927 millions passengers .
Washington DC started its operation from 1976 carrying just 144 passengers per year in 126 kilometers route. Los Angeles and Kyoto with 11 and 28 kilometers route takes nearly similar number of passengers with 45 and 50 millions passengers per year respectively.
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 response addresses all parts of the prompt by presenting an overview of the six cities and reporting key features such as opening dates, route lengths, and passenger numbers. It makes some relevant comparisons, noting for instance that Tokyo carries the highest number of passengers and that Kyoto and Los Angeles are the lowest in terms of length and passenger counts. However, some parts of the task are more fully covered than others, and certain ideas are under-developed. For example, the calculation regarding the 'passengers to kilometers ratio' in the overview is inaccurate based on the actual figures provided in the table, and some statements lack sufficient extension. To move to a higher band, the student should ensure that all comparative statements are mathematically accurate based on the source data and provide fuller support for the main trends identified.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to group information logically, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by body details grouped by chronological or size characteristics. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction, overview, and body details. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty, and referencing is not always clear. For instance, the transition between sentences feels abrupt, and cohesive devices are somewhat limited or repetitive. To improve coherence and progress to the next level, the student should employ a wider range of cohesive ties and ensure smoother logical transitions between sentences and paragraphs, making the progression of data clearer and more natural throughout.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to successfully discuss dates, route lengths, and passenger volumes. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary and phraseology, such as 'accounts almost around' and 'passengers to kilometers ratio'. However, these attempts contain inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as omitting 'million' in places (e.g., '775 millions passengers' instead of 'million'). Spelling and word-choice errors are present but do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, the student should expand their range of vocabulary, improve precision in lexical selection, and pay closer attention to standard collocations and numerical phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and participial phrases such as 'London, being the oldest railway established in 1863...'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles (e.g., 'with longest railway tracks'), minor prepositional issues, and punctuation spacing errors around commas. Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear. To achieve a higher level, the student needs to demonstrate a greater variety of complex sentence structures with higher accuracy, ensuring better control over articles, plurals, and punctuation within complex clauses.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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