Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 task illusrated the information about the underground railway systems in the six cities of different countries.

Overall, the cities showed the progress in railway systems but Paris showed the higest rose and Kyoto showed the lowest progress.

Firstly, London railway systems opened in 1863 covered 394 km of route with the passengers of 775 millions per year. While Paris railway opened in 1900 covred 199 km with passengers 1191 millions per year. However, Tolyo railway opened in 1927 and covered 155 km distance with the passengers of 1927 millions per year.

Secondly, Washigton DC railway systems opened in 1976 and covered 126 km route with 144 millions passengers per year. Meanwhile Kyoto opened their railway systems in 1981 and covered 11 km route with 45 million passengers per year. However Los Angeles opened their railway systems in 2001 and covered 28 km of route with 50 millions passengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You include all six cities and report the opening dates, route lengths and annual passenger figures, so the response contains relevant information from the table. However, the overview is not accurate: Paris does not show the highest rise, since the table gives no changes over time; Tokyo has the most passengers, while London has the longest route and Kyoto the shortest. The overview also describes “progress” without identifying the main comparisons. The body mostly lists figures city by city, with limited synthesis, and the comparison between route length and passenger numbers is not drawn out. To strengthen the response, give a precise overview of the extremes and compare the cities directly rather than relying mainly on a sequence of data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The sequence from the older systems to the newer ones is easy to follow, and “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “Meanwhile” help signal progression. However, the organisation is somewhat mechanical, and “However” is used where no contrast is clearly established, particularly before the Tokyo and Los Angeles details. The body paragraphs group cities by order rather than by meaningful similarities or contrasts, so the comparisons remain limited. Improve cohesion by grouping the largest and busiest systems together, then comparing the smaller systems, and use linking expressions only when they accurately show the relationship between the figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary such as “underground railway systems,” “route,” “opened,” and “passengers per year,” which makes the subject clear. However, the range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural. “Highest rose” suggests a change that the table does not show, while “lowest progress” is vague; “Tokyo railway” and “covered 155 km distance” are also awkward expressions. There are noticeable spelling errors, including “illusrated,” “higest,” “covred,” “Tolyo,” and “Washigton.” These errors reduce precision, although the intended information is generally understandable. Use standard forms such as “annual passenger numbers” and “route length,” and check spelling carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple sentences and longer structures, including clauses introduced by “While” and “However,” and the main figures can generally be understood. However, control is uneven: “While Paris railway opened in 1900…” is a dependent clause presented as a sentence, and “with the passengers of 775 millions per year” has an awkward grammatical construction. There are also problems with articles and number forms, as in “London railway systems” and “45 million passengers” alongside inconsistent plural use. The repeated pattern of city + “opened” + “covered” limits the range of sentence structures. Practise forming complete comparisons and use consistent constructions, for example, “The system carried 775 million passengers annually.”

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