Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 given table illustrates the data about the subways system in six cities from 1863 to 2001, categorized by kilometers of route and passenger per year (in millions).

Overall, The London has underground railway system more antiquated than any other city and it also spread over the longest route in terms of subway.Although, Paris and Tokyo has highest proportion of passenger per year in millions, these cities consist of relatively small route as compared to london.The Kyoto and LA constitute smallest route with least passenger per year.

The London subway system started in 1863 and spreads over 394 kilometer and consist of 775 passenger per year (in million).The Paris and Tokyo underground railway system opened in 1900 and 1927, spreads over 199km and 155km with highest proportion of passenger per year 1191 million and 1927 million.Kyoto and LA subway system was one of the latest, opened in 1981 and 2001 with lowest route and least proportion passenger per year(in million).

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the table’s subject and provide an overview that highlights London’s age and route length, as well as the high passenger figures for Paris and Tokyo and the smaller systems in Kyoto and Los Angeles. These are relevant main features, and you include figures for several cities. However, the overview is not fully accurate: Kyoto has the fewest passengers, but Los Angeles has a longer route and more passengers, so they do not both have the smallest route and least passenger numbers. Washington DC is omitted entirely, and the comparisons between route length and passenger use could be more precise. To strengthen the response, report all six cities and distinguish clearly between the oldest/largest systems and the newest/smallest ones.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph of supporting details. The overview helps the reader see the intended comparisons, and the information generally follows a sensible order. However, the final paragraph groups cities together without consistently explaining the comparisons, and Washington DC’s absence leaves a gap in the progression. Some linking is also awkward or mechanical, as in “Although, Paris and Tokyo…”; the contrast would be clearer if expressed directly. Improve cohesion by grouping the six systems according to meaningful features, such as older versus newer or high versus low passenger use, and use clear transitions between those groups.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “underground railway system,” “route,” and “passenger,” and attempt more formal descriptions such as “antiquated.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing the data. “Highest proportion of passenger” does not mean the highest passenger totals, while “spread over” and “constitute smallest route” are awkward collocations. There are also inconsistent forms such as “subways system” and “passenger per year.” These choices sometimes make the comparisons less precise, although the general topic remains understandable. Prefer standard data-reporting language and use “number of passengers” and “route length” consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast introduced with “Although” and clauses describing opening dates and route lengths. However, some errors in agreement, articles, sentence boundaries, and punctuation reduce accuracy. For example, “Paris and Tokyo … has” should use a plural verb, and “The London” is not grammatically appropriate. The sentence beginning “Although” is incomplete as punctuated, and several sentences run together without spaces after full stops. There are also inconsistent singular and plural forms in “system” and “passenger.” Check subject–verb agreement, article use, and sentence boundaries, then proofread punctuation while retaining your attempts at varied structures.

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