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)

The given table demonstrates the data for the underground railway system in six different cities throughout the world.

Overall, London is on the top of the list for having oldest underground railway system. In contrast, Los Angeles is newest in the list for having underground railway system. Moreover, London operates longest route in terms of kilometer. Whereas, Kyoto operates smallest route.

Firstly, underground railway system opened in london in 1863 which makes it oldest among the list with having 394 kilometers of route which holds 775 million of passengers in a year. Paris opened the underground railway system in 1900 and Tokyo in 1927. Paris have 199 kilometers of open route to 1191 million passengers in a year. This followed by Tokyo with 155 kilometer of route for 1927 million passengers in a year.

Secondly, Los Angeles opened its system in 2001 with 28 kilometers of working route for 50 million of passengers per year. Washington DC opened its underground railway in 1976 with 126 kilometers of route for 144 million of passengers in a year. Kyoto opened its in 1981.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main contrasts: London has the oldest and longest system, while Los Angeles is the newest and Kyoto has the shortest route. You also report several key figures accurately, including Tokyo’s 1,927 million annual passengers and Washington DC’s 126-kilometre network. However, coverage is uneven: Kyoto’s passenger figure (45 million) is omitted, and the overview does not identify Tokyo as the busiest system, despite its leading passenger total. Some comparisons are also imprecise, such as saying Paris has 199 kilometres “to” 1,191 million passengers. To strengthen the summary, include all cities’ key data and make the major contrasts between route length and passenger use explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two body paragraphs. The grouping of London, Paris and Tokyo before the newer systems gives the reader a basic progression, and “Firstly” and “Secondly” signal the sections. However, the second paragraph ends abruptly with “Kyoto opened its in 1981,” leaving its route and passenger data unreported. Some links are mechanical or unclear: “This followed by Tokyo” does not clearly express the comparison, and “Whereas” begins a fragment after the overview. Improve cohesion by using complete comparison sentences and ensuring each paragraph develops its stated grouping fully.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “opened,” “route,” “passengers per year,” “oldest” and “newest,” so the topic remains understandable. There are, however, noticeable problems with word choice and collocation that make some descriptions awkward, such as “on the top of the list,” “holds 775 million of passengers,” and “working route.” Repetition of “opened” and “route” also limits the range. Choose more precise expressions such as “has the highest annual passenger figure” and “network length,” and use “carries” or “serves” when describing passenger numbers. This would make the comparisons more natural and concise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including the relative clause in “which makes it oldest” and the comparison introduced by “Whereas.” Meaning is generally recoverable, but some errors in agreement, articles and sentence construction remain. For example, “Paris have” should be “Paris has,” while “London is on the top” needs an article and a more suitable construction. “Whereas, Kyoto operates smallest route” is not a complete, well-formed comparison, and “Kyoto opened its in 1981” lacks a noun after “its.” Check subject–verb agreement, use articles consistently, and make sure each clause has a complete grammatical structure. More accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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.