Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-20

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)

we will discuss about the underground railway system in six big cities of different countries around the globe

we will start from the most longest route which is the oldest one too, in London it is 394km long and started in 1863 it helps 775 million people to travel per year. in contrast the most shorter route of railway is in Kyoto its only 11km long and began its operations in1981 it helps to transit 45 million peasants to transit anaually.

now the trun of Tokyo it started its railway operations in 1927 and its length is 155km and the pint that makes it distinct from all given information is that its the most bussiest opreation amongst all as it carried 1927 million people anually as compare to Kyoto which transit only 45 million people per anum.

the railways of Washington DC began to operate in 1976 and its 126 km long and 144 million people used this service to go from one place to another.the subway of Los Angeles is the most latest as its started in 2001 the only in whole given data which began in 21st century its 28km long and 45 million people travel in it anually.

In this whole data we can conclude that the most oldest railway system is of London also the longest one, most recent but not the shortest id of Los Angeles though the most shortest is of Kyoto and that Tokoy's railways is transiting heighest number of passengers per year awhich 1927 million as compared to Kyoto which is doing this for 45 million people, the most lowest number in given data.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important comparisons, including London as the oldest and longest system, Kyoto as the shortest, and Tokyo as carrying the most passengers. These are relevant main features, and most cities are included. However, the overview is placed mainly at the end rather than clearly stated near the beginning, and some key comparisons are missing: Paris, for example, has the second-longest route and the second-highest passenger total, while Washington has more passengers than either Kyoto or Los Angeles. There is also a factual inconsistency: Los Angeles carries 50 million passengers, not 45 million; 45 million belongs to Kyoto. A clearer overview and more accurate coverage of all six figures would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is divided into paragraphs and generally moves from London and Kyoto to other cities, then offers a concluding comparison. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the opening says “we will discuss,” and the repeated “now the turn of” makes the report sound conversational rather than like a concise data summary. Comparisons are sometimes repeated, especially the contrast between Tokyo and Kyoto, while Paris is omitted entirely. Linking phrases such as “in contrast” are useful, but some connections are awkward or unclear, and the final sentence becomes difficult to follow. Grouping the cities by notable features and using a brief overview would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “route,” “operations,” “passengers,” and “carried,” and you attempt to compare the systems. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which can make the meaning harder to follow. For example, “peasants” is not an appropriate term for passengers, “most longest” and “most shorter” are incorrectly formed, and “the most latest” is unnatural. “Transit” is repeated and does not fit naturally in phrases such as “transit 45 million people.” Spelling errors such as “bussiest,” “anaually,” and “Tokoy” are also noticeable. Use precise terms such as “passengers,” “annual ridership,” and “the busiest system,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine information in longer sentences, for example, “In London it is 394km long and started in 1863,” but these attempts often contain errors in sentence structure and punctuation. Several sentences run together without appropriate full stops, as in the Washington and Los Angeles descriptions. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and verb forms: “the most oldest railway system is of London” and “Tokyo’s railways is transiting” are not grammatically controlled. The response relies heavily on simple clauses joined with “and,” so the range of structures is limited. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences first, then add accurate subordinate clauses and use consistent past or present forms when describing the data.

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