Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-12

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)

This table explains the information about the underground railway systems in London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles. Overall, London is the first city to operate railway system in 1863 having the longest route of 394 kilometers. On the other hand, Tokyo Has the highest volume of passangers per year at 1927 million.

Undergroung railway systems is open earliest in London in 1863 with the longest route of 394km. Following that, Paris became the second city where railway opened in 1900. Second largest route of 199 covering second highest volume of passengers at 1191 million. Respectively Tokyo became the third-one started operating in 1927 with 155km covering 1927 million passengers.

Washingto DC, Kyoto and los Angeles are opened in 1976, 1981 and 2001 with short routes of 126km, just 11km and 28km. These cities Carry fewer Passengers as compared to the other cites. Covering 144 million, 45 million and 50 million respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response identifies the main contrasts: London is the oldest system and has the longest route, while Tokyo carries the most passengers. It also reports figures for all six cities and groups the three later-opening systems together, so the key information is relevant. However, some comparisons are incomplete or unclear. For example, Paris is described as having the “second highest volume,” although Tokyo’s figure is higher, and the overview does not mention that Kyoto has the shortest route and lowest passenger total. The final paragraph says the three cities carry fewer passengers but does not clearly compare their figures with one another. A more precise overview and clearer selection of the most notable extremes would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by details about the older systems and then the newer ones. Linking expressions such as “On the other hand,” “Following that,” and “Respectively” help signal relationships between points. However, progression is sometimes mechanical, and the second paragraph’s sequence of facts is difficult to follow because “Second largest route of 199 covering second highest volume” is not a complete sentence. The final paragraph also places several figures together without clearly connecting each passenger total to its city. Use complete, parallel comparisons and clearer referencing—for example, state each city’s route and passenger figure in the same sentence—to make the information easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for describing the table, with relevant terms such as “route,” “passengers per year,” “longest,” and “volume.” There are also attempts to vary wording, including “operate” and “started operating.” However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural: “covering” is used for passenger numbers, and “volume of passengers” is less natural than “number of passengers.” Spelling errors such as “Undergroung,” “passangers,” and “Washingto” are noticeable, while inconsistent capitalisation also affects presentation. Aim for accurate, conventional data-reporting language and proofread spellings. For example, use “carried” or “served” for passenger totals and “route length” when comparing network size.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex forms, including the overview sentence beginning “Overall” and the clause “where railway opened in 1900.” Meaning is generally recoverable, but some sentence structures are incomplete or awkward. “Second largest route of 199 covering second highest volume of passengers at 1191 million” is a fragment, and “Underground railway systems is open earliest” has problems with agreement and verb form. Articles are also missing in phrases such as “operate railway system” and “with the longest route.” Use complete sentences with a clear subject and finite verb, and check tense and agreement when describing historical opening dates. More consistent control of these basic patterns would make the comparisons clearer.

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