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 shows information about several underground railway systems located in six cities.
Overall, London was the first city to introduce this system carrying millions of passengers per year. Furthermore, many other cities were seen to develop underground railway systems in the upcoming years.
In 1863, underground railway system was built in London spanning up to 394 Kilometer of route. About 775 million of people used this railway system every year. Later on 1900, Paris opened underground railway service for 199 kilometer, and served about 1191 million people every year. Whereas, Tokyo city implemented this service for serving 1927 million passenger per year within the range of 155 Kilometer. In addition, Washington DC, kyoto, and Los Angeles also started underground railway system. Los Angeles was the last city to serve this facility and it implemented for a shorter distance. Nevertheless, it was used by only 50 million people per year.
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 response addresses the task partially, outlining some basic information about the underground railway systems. However, the selection and reporting of main features is rather limited. For instance, while the overview mentions that London was the first city, key overarching comparisons are missed, and some details are under-developed or imprecise, such as stating that Tokyo served '1927 million passenger per year' (confusing the opening year with passenger figures). The body paragraphs present data mechanically without fully synthesising the wider trends across all six cities, such as contrasting the oldest systems with the more recently established ones in Kyoto and Los Angeles. To reach a higher level, the response needs to present a clearer, more fully developed overview of the main trends and highlight significant comparative features across all data points.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The writing demonstrates some overall organisation, beginning with an introductory overview and grouping details into subsequent paragraphs. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the logical flow between sentences can feel disjointed. Cohesive devices are sometimes used mechanically or inaccurately, such as 'Later on 1900' and 'Whereas, Tokyo city implemented', which disrupt the natural linking of ideas. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion within the body paragraph lacks seamless transitions. To improve, the writer should ensure that ideas are sequenced more logically and that cohesive devices are used more naturally to guide the reader smoothly through the comparative data without repetitive or awkward phrasing.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey basic facts from the table. The student makes attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'implement', 'spanning', and 'facility', but these are accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, for example, writing 'Kilometer of route' instead of 'kilometers of route' and confusing data points. There are also occasional issues with word forms. While communication is generally maintained despite these flaws, the range remains restricted. To achieve a higher standard, the writer should incorporate a wider variety of precise vocabulary relating to data reporting, such as verbs and nouns indicating change, scale, and proportion, while ensuring accurate word formation and collocation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response displays a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic complex forms. Attempts at complex structures are often faulty, featuring frequent errors in grammar, articles, prepositions, and punctuation. Examples include missing articles ('underground railway system was built'), incorrect prepositions ('in 1863' handled okay, but errors like 'for 199 kilometer' instead of 'over 199 kilometers'), and capitalization lapses ('kyoto'). These frequent errors can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To move up, the writer needs to demonstrate a greater variety of complex grammatical structures with a higher proportion of error-free sentences, ensuring better control over pluralisation, prepositions, and article usage when describing statistical data.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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