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 provided table presents data on the subway networks in six cities. Overall, it is apparent that London is first city in which first time metro system inaugurated and spread on large area while the maximum number of people had travelled by while in Kyoto this system spread on smaller area and less number of passengers in a year as compared to others.

Firstly, London is first city in which underground railway was introduced in 1863, covered large area 394 kilometers and 775 millions passengers travel in a year, while in Paris underground railway start its operation in 1900 and spread on 199 kilometers and 1191 million passengers was travelled in a single year. Moreover, Tokyo was a third city which covered 155 kilometers and 1927 million visitors travel by train which is significantly higher than other metropolitan areas.

In Washington DC underground railway system started its operation in 1976 and covered 126 kilometers and 144 million passengers travel in a year. In addition in 1981 start its working and spread covered 11 kilometers and 45 million passengers which is very less as compared to others cities. Furthermore, Los Angeles was a last city in which it opened on 2001 and covered 28 kilometers and 50 million travellers traveled in a year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all six cities and report the three measures for each, with a useful overview identifying London as the earliest and largest network and Tokyo as having the highest annual passenger figure. These are relevant main features, and the comparisons between London and Paris and among the smaller systems help address the task. However, the overview is not fully clear: the phrase “maximum number of people had travelled by” does not identify Tokyo, and Kyoto is described as having the smallest network without noting that Los Angeles opened later. Some details are also less clearly expressed, particularly the comparison of passenger totals. Make the overview more precise and select the most important contrasts explicitly to strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by two paragraphs covering the older and newer systems. Sequencing is generally easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Firstly,” “Moreover,” and “Furthermore” signal additions and comparisons. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, with several sentences repeating the same city-plus-figures pattern. The overview’s reference to “the maximum number of people” is unclear, and the final paragraph moves from Washington to Kyoto and Los Angeles without a clear grouping principle. Use more precise referencing and organise the details around meaningful contrasts—for example, oldest and busiest systems, then the newer, smaller networks—to make progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “subway networks,” “underground railway,” “inaugurated,” “metropolitan areas,” and “passengers.” This allows you to describe the table and attempt comparisons. However, several choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “spread on large area,” “people had travelled by,” and “visitors travel by train.” “Millions passengers” also needs a more natural form, such as “millions of passengers.” Repetition of “covered” and “started its operation” limits flexibility. Aim for precise reporting language such as “the network extended to,” “carried,” and “recorded annual ridership,” while checking that each phrase fits the data and does not imply a different meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including comparisons joined with “while” and additions introduced by “Moreover” and “Furthermore.” The main information is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence structure and verb forms are frequent enough to make some sentences difficult to process. For example, “London is first city in which first time metro system inaugurated” lacks articles and a correctly formed passive, while “in 1981 start its working” has no clear subject and uses an incomplete verb phrase. There are also agreement and tense problems in “1191 million passengers was travelled.” Practise complete subject–verb structures and consistent past-tense reporting, such as “The system opened in 1900 and carried…”; this will make your comparisons clearer.

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