Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-05
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 provides the data on the underground railways system in six cities with opening date, kilometers of route and the passangers per year measured in millions.
Overall, it is clear that London was the first city which had established the underground railway systems, whereas Kyoto had lowest figure in terms of kilometers of route and passangers per year.
In London, the railway systems were established in1863 and had the highest rate of kilometers of route which was 394 with 775 million passengers per year an Tokyo railway was established in 1927 with 155 kilometers of route and 1927 million passengers per year which is highest compared with all cities.
In contrast, Kyoto railway was opened in 1981 and the number of kilometers of route was 11 and passengers per year were 45 million which is lowest among the group.
In Los Angeles, railway stations were opened in 2001 with 28 kilometers of route which which was the second lowest in the group with 50 million passengers per year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response provides an overview of the data and attempts to report the main features and comparisons, which aligns with addressing the task requirements. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat limited and mechanical. While key data points such as opening dates, route lengths, and passenger numbers for London, Kyoto, Tokyo, and Los Angeles are mentioned, other significant data points like Paris and Washington DC are entirely omitted from the body paragraphs. Furthermore, the description tends to list figures rather than fully synthesizing the broader trends or making comprehensive comparative statements across all six cities, placing this aspect of the report at a developing level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The report demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and logical progression from older systems to more recently opened ones. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the information logically. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In London', 'In contrast', and 'In Los Angeles' are employed to guide the reader through the data points, though referencing is occasionally mechanical. While the logical flow is generally maintained, the transitional links and paragraph connections could be varied more flexibly to enhance the overall cohesion and achieve a higher standard of organization.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to transport data such as 'railway systems', 'kilometers of route', and 'passengers per year'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, such as spelling mistakes ('passangers') and minor awkwardness in word choices or prepositional collocations. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, but these occasional inaccuracies in spelling and word choice highlight the need for greater precision. Overall, the vocabulary is minimally adequate for communicating the core information without causing major strain for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and comparative structures. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the text. Issues include missing articles (e.g., 'had lowest figure', 'with 775 million passengers per year an Tokyo railway'), punctuation omissions around dates (e.g., 'in1863'), and repetitive sentence structures that occasionally disrupt the flow. While these errors rarely impede overall communication, the frequency of grammatical slips in basic structures keeps the accuracy level constrained.
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