Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-13

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 table illustrates some information about the system of uderground railway in six diffrent cites: London, Paris, Tokyo, Kyoto, Washington DC and Los Angeles.

Overall, the data compares the system of underground railway in London, Paris, Tokyo, Kyoto, Washington DC and Los Angeles, from the old which London was to the new opened Los Angeles , highest and lowest in killometers London and kyoto of route and passengers in millions per year.

In the six cities, London has the oldest system of underground system in 1863 which obviously stood at highest figure of kilometers of route by 394. However its passengers number per year is 775 million. In the other hand, Paris, Tokyo and Washington opend in 1900, 1927 and 1976 with close kilometers of routes 199, 155, 126 and the number of passenger per year was higher in Tokyo which accounted 1929 million then Paris stood at 1191million passenger and the lowest Washington by 144 million only.

Kyoto and Los Angeles has oped in 1981 and 2001 with the lowest km of roiutes 11 and 28 only only 45 million passenger per year in Kyoto and 50 for Los Angeles, mading Kyoto the last in the number of km and passnger in the six cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the table’s subject and include an overview of the main contrasts: London is the oldest system and has the longest route, while Kyoto has the shortest route. You also report figures for all six cities, which addresses the task. However, some key comparisons are unclear or inaccurate: Tokyo’s annual passenger figure is 1,927 million, not 1,929 million, and the overview does not clearly identify Tokyo as having the highest passenger use. The grouping of Paris, Tokyo and Washington as having “close” route lengths is also imprecise, and the final comparison could explain more clearly that Los Angeles has slightly more passengers than Kyoto. A more precise overview and accurate, selective comparisons would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to comparisons of the older and newer systems. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in the long sentence beginning “In the other hand,” where opening dates, route lengths and passenger totals are combined. The overview repeats the list of cities without adding much, and linking phrases such as “However” and “then” do not always show the intended relationship between the figures. Use clearer topic groupings and separate comparisons into shorter sentences; for example, compare route lengths first, then passenger numbers. This would make the organisation more logical and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “system,” “kilometers of route,” “passengers per year” and “highest figure,” so the reader can generally understand the comparisons. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, including “uderground,” “diffrent,” “cites,” “roiutes” and “passnger.” Some phrases are also unnatural or unclear, such as “from the old which London was to the new opened Los Angeles” and “the lowest km of roiutes.” Aim for accurate, conventional data-reporting language and check spelling carefully. More precise terms such as “oldest,” “most extensive network” and “annual passenger numbers” would help express the information clearly without relying on repeated basic wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with clauses, and the main message is usually recoverable. However, the longer structures are often not controlled, as in “Overall, the data compares … from the old which London was to the new opened Los Angeles,” where the clause construction obscures the meaning. There are also errors in agreement and verb forms: “Kyoto and Los Angeles has oped” should use a plural verb and a correct past participle, while “London has the oldest system … in 1863” mixes present perfect with a finished date. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention. Practise building accurate short comparison sentences first, then combine them with controlled clauses; this will improve clarity and grammatical range.

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