Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-09

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 data illustrate the information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

Overall, it clearly highlights that London has the highest kilometers of route among the mentioned cities. Paris, Tokyo & Washington DC have similary same level of kilometers route. Kyoto & Los Angeles have the lowest kilometers of route compared to other cities.

Tokyo has the maximum number of passengers per year that is 1927 million with 155 kilometers of route. Whereas, Paris & London are nearby in passenger per year with the kilometers of route which was 1191 million with 199 km & 775 million with 394 km. However, Kyoto & Los Angeles has the lowest passenger per year with kilometers of route that was 45 million with 11 km & 50 million with 28 km.

In one hand London has peak at kilometers of route. In other hand Tokyo has zenith at passengers per year. However, Paris is in competition with both London and Tokyo in kilometers of rote and Passenger per year. Others cities are too far in competition with these three cities London, Paris and Tokyo.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrasts: London has the longest route, Tokyo carries the most passengers, and Kyoto and Los Angeles are smallest on both measures. You also include relevant figures for all six cities, so the key information is generally covered. However, the overview focuses mainly on route length and does not mention the opening dates, an important feature of the table. The claim that Paris, Tokyo and Washington have a “similary same level” of route length is also misleading: their figures differ noticeably. To strengthen the summary, compare the systems by age as well as size and passenger use, and make the overview more precise. The nine words copied from the task prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs presenting passenger and route figures. This helps the reader locate the main comparisons. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph largely repeats the overview and earlier comparisons rather than adding a new, clearly organised point. Linking expressions such as “Whereas,” “However,” and “In one hand” are sometimes awkward or do not show the relationship between ideas accurately. Group the information more systematically—for example, first compare route lengths and passenger totals, then briefly contrast the oldest and newest systems. Use fewer, more precise transitions and avoid repeating the same ranking.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “highest,” “maximum number,” “lowest,” and “passengers per year,” and the reader can understand the intended comparisons. However, several phrases are unnatural or imprecise, such as “similary same level,” “peak at kilometers of route,” and “in competition with” when comparing statistics. There are also spelling and word-form slips, including “similary” and “rote.” These choices make the report less fluent and occasionally obscure the exact comparison. Prefer standard data-reporting collocations such as “had the longest route,” “recorded the highest annual passenger total,” and “was considerably smaller.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple statements and longer comparative sentences, and most of the figures remain understandable. However, some sentence structures and agreement patterns are inaccurate. For example, “Kyoto & Los Angeles has” should use a plural verb, while “Paris & London are nearby in passenger per year” does not form a clear grammatical comparison. The sentence beginning “Whereas” is also left as a fragment, and “In one hand … In other hand” lacks the correct article and preposition pattern. Build comparisons as complete sentences, check singular and plural subjects, and use accurate forms such as “On the one hand … on the other hand,” or, more simply, “By contrast.”

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.