Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-06

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 illustrates information about the underground railway in six cities.

The figures for passengers measured in million.

Overall, it is evident that there were considerable differences among the given categories. The underground system in Tokyo recorded the highest figures , while Kyoto remained the lowest throughout the given time period. In gernal, most categories either an increase or a decrease over the period, while a few reamined relatively stable.

London's underground opened first, in 1863, and its route extends for 394 kilometers, which is almost double that of Paris, the second-largest system at 199 kilometers. Despite its size, London serves 775 million passengers annually, which is significantly fewer than Paris with 1191 million and Tokyo with 1927 million.

Tokyo's system opened in 1927, is only 155 km long but is the busiest, serving 1927 million passengers per year. Paris, opened in 1900, is the second busiest.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task partially, as it manages to select and report some main features of the underground systems, such as mentioning the oldest system in London and the busiest in Tokyo. However, important information is omitted or under-developed, and the overview contains inaccuracies and inappropriate generalizations like claiming most categories showed an increase or decrease over a period when the data is static rather than showing temporal changes. Additionally, the response falls slightly short of the required word count, coming in at 147 words against the minimum of 150 words. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to present a fully accurate overview without misinterpreting the nature of the data, adequately cover all columns and cities with relevant comparisons, and meet the minimum length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some overall organisation with paragraphs attempting to group related ideas, but progression is lacking in places, leading to a somewhat fragmented structure. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes mechanical or inaccurately applied, such as the awkward transition in the overview and abrupt shifts between sentences. Paragraphing is attempted, but paragraph boundaries and internal logic could be managed more skilfully to guide the reader smoothly through the comparisons. To improve, the writer should ensure a clear logical progression throughout, use cohesive devices more naturally without repetition, and structure each body paragraph around a clear thematic focus.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic comparative concepts such as 'busiest', 'longest', and 'second-largest'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, though this is accompanied by some spelling errors like 'gernal' and 'reamined', alongside minor word choice inaccuracies such as 'figures for passengers measured in million'. These lexical errors do not seriously impede communication, allowing the reader to grasp the intended meaning. To achieve a higher band, the writer should expand the range of vocabulary, improve precision in word choice and collocations, and eliminate spelling mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, with relative clauses like 'which is almost double that of Paris' demonstrating an attempt at complex structures. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing verbs or articles such as 'most categories either an increase or a decrease' and punctuation slips like spaces before commas. However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, allowing the core comparisons to remain understandable. To move up, the writer needs to increase the proportion of error-free sentences and exercise better control over grammatical structures and article usage.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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