Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-21

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 following table illustrates, the data of underground railway systems constructed in six different cities, London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington, Kyoto and Los Angeles. It was categorized in 3 different sections demonstrated the opening date of each route, routes lengths in Kilometers and total number of passengers per year.

First of all, figures showed that the longest railway track system was constructed underground in London , in 1863. It was 394 Kilometers long and used by 775 millions passengers per year. On the other hand, the shortest track was installed in Kyoto 1981 that was only 11 Kilometers long and 45 millions of passengers per year took that route.

Furthermore, if we compare according to number of passengers then we would see that the largest number of passengers visited the Tokyo underground railway system approximately, "one thousand nine hundred and twenty seven millions" that was built in 1927.In contrast, the least number of passengers used the Kyoto railway system only, "45 millions".

Moreover, the underground railway systems were constructed in other cities as well in different years of 19th century and one in 20 century.

In conclusion, the number of passengers vary depending upon the location and the population of the city.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important extremes: London has the longest route, Kyoto the shortest, and Tokyo the highest annual passenger figure. These comparisons show a relevant understanding of the table. However, the summary is only partial because it omits key information about Paris, Washington, and Los Angeles, and gives little comparison across all six systems. The overview is also weak: the final claim that passenger numbers depend on location and population is not demonstrated by the table, which provides no population data. The statement about systems being built in “different years of 19th century and one in 20 century” is vague and does not accurately summarise the opening dates. Select the main patterns, then support them with accurate figures for more cities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to comparisons and a conclusion. Paragraph openings such as “First of all,” “Furthermore,” and “Moreover” help signal progression, and the London/Kyoto contrast is easy to follow. However, the organisation is somewhat mechanical, and the final body paragraph introduces a broad statement about opening dates without developing it. The conclusion repeats a general idea rather than drawing together the main comparisons. Some linking within sentences is also awkward, as in “if we compare according to number of passengers then we would see.” Grouping the information into clear comparisons—such as oldest and longest systems, then passenger use—would make the progression more purposeful and the relationships between details clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “longest,” “shortest,” “constructed,” and “number of passengers,” so the main information is generally understandable. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for this task. “Railway track system” and “track was installed” are less suitable than terms such as “network” or “route,” while “passengers visited” does not accurately describe people using a railway. The repeated use of “millions” after figures also creates awkward phrasing; the table’s units can be stated once as annual passengers in millions. There are also inconsistent capitalisation and spelling conventions, such as “Kilometers.” Aim for precise data-reporting vocabulary and natural collocations rather than adding elaborate wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional comparison (“if we compare… then we would see”) and a contrast introduced by “On the other hand.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical and punctuation errors remain. For example, “It was categorized in 3 different sections demonstrated…” has an unclear structure, and “the shortest track was installed in Kyoto 1981” is missing a preposition before the year. There are also article and plural problems in “45 millions of passengers,” and the sentence beginning “Moreover” is incomplete or unclear in its reference to centuries. Commas are sometimes misplaced, including after “illustrates” and around the city list. Use shorter, controlled sentences and check articles, prepositions, agreement, and punctuation.

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