Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-14

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 illustration shows the infromation about underground railway system in 6 different cities. Overall, Tokyo, underground railway system that opened in 1927, and their route was 155 kilometers, recorded the highest number of passengers as compared to other cities. While, Kyoto, recorded only 45 million passengers which was the lowest numbers from all other cities.

It is quite evident from graph that London is the the first city that opened their underground railway system in 1863 with 394 kilometer route which is the longest route and recorded 775 millions passenger per year. In contrast, Paris, opened their underground railway system in 1900, with 199 kilometer route and recorded 1191 millions passengers which was the second higest number among these cities. While Washington DC, opened in 1976 with 126 killometers long route and recorded 144 millions passengers per year.

Furthermore, Los Angeles, underground railway system opened in 2001, with 28 killometers of route and recorded 50 millions passengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important comparisons, including Tokyo’s highest annual passenger figure, London’s earliest opening and longest route, and Kyoto’s lowest passenger total. However, the overview is incomplete: it does not mention that Tokyo has the most passengers, nor does it summarise the contrast between the older, larger systems and the newer, smaller ones. Kyoto’s route length and opening date are omitted, and the response gives no comparison involving its 11-kilometre route. Some details are also imprecise: Paris is described as having the second-highest passenger figure, but Tokyo’s figure is higher, making Paris third. To address the task more fully, report all six cities’ key data accurately and select the clearest overall patterns.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs presenting details. This gives the reader some organisation, and expressions such as “In contrast” and “Furthermore” signal relationships between points. However, progression is limited because the details are mostly listed city by city rather than grouped into meaningful comparisons. The overview’s “While” sentence is awkwardly attached, and repeated sentence openings such as “opened” and “recorded” make the account feel repetitive. Kyoto is mentioned only in the overview, while Los Angeles is separated from the other later-opening systems. Grouping cities by route length or passenger numbers, and using clearer links between those groups, would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a table, including “route,” “passengers per year,” “highest,” “lowest,” and “in contrast.” These choices generally make the data understandable. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive: “the illustration” is less suitable than “the table,” “recorded” is repeated, and “the lowest numbers from all other cities” is not a natural comparison. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “infromation,” “higest,” and “killometers,” which reduce precision. Aim for accurate, varied reporting language such as “served,” “carried,” “ranked,” and “had a route length of,” while checking spelling and using “figure” or “total” appropriately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including an overview sentence with a comparison and clauses beginning “which” and “with.” The main information is usually understandable, but sentence control is uneven. For example, “Overall, Tokyo, underground railway system that opened in 1927, and their route was 155 kilometers…” lacks a clear grammatical structure, while “While, Kyoto, recorded…” is an incomplete subordinate clause. There are also errors in articles, agreement, and plurals, as in “the the first city,” “their underground railway system,” and “775 millions passenger.” Most sentences follow a similar pattern, so the range remains limited. Practise complete comparison sentences and check that each clause has a clear subject and verb, with consistent singular or plural forms.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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