Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-22

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 chart illustrates information about the underground railway systems in six different cities of the world including London, Paris, Tokyo,Washington DC and Los Angeles.

Overall, the table describes the opening date of the underground railway and their routes length and their annual passenger numbers. Tokyo had the highest number of passengers and Los Angeles had a relitvely low numbers of passengers.

In London, the underground railway system opened in 1863 and covered 394 kilometers carried 775 million passengers annually. However the Paris system opened in 1900, covered 199 kilometres and carried 1,191 million passengers annually.

In contrast, Tokyo the underground railway system was introduced in 1927 and carring 1927 million passengers in a year and it complete 155 route. However, Washington DC opened its underground railway system in 1976, with a route length of 126 kilometres and 144 million passengers annually. In Kyoto, the system was introduced in 1981 and total number of passengers in a year was 45 million while, it covered 11 kilometers. Lastly in Los Angeles in 2001 the station was opened with 50 million peaple and 28 kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the table’s subject and provide an overview that correctly highlights Tokyo’s highest passenger total and Los Angeles’s relatively low figure. You also report data for all six cities, including opening dates, route lengths and annual passenger numbers, so the response covers the main categories. However, the overview is limited: it does not mention that London has the longest route and is the oldest system, or that Kyoto has the shortest route. Some details are unclear or inaccurate in presentation, particularly “it complete 155 route,” and the final sentence does not clearly connect Los Angeles’s figures to its system. To strengthen the response, select the most notable contrasts for the overview and report each city’s figures precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and two body paragraphs that group the cities and report their figures. This gives the reader a generally coherent route through the information. Linking expressions such as “However,” “In contrast” and “Lastly” show an attempt to connect comparisons, but some are used mechanically or do not express a clear contrast; for example, “However” between London and Paris is not well motivated. The long final paragraph also moves through four cities without a consistent comparison pattern, and the opening list omits Kyoto. Grouping the systems by a meaningful feature, such as older/larger versus newer/smaller, and using clearer links would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “underground railway system,” “route length,” “annually” and “passengers,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is somewhat repetitive, with “opened,” “system” and “passengers” recurring, and several word-choice or spelling problems reduce precision. “The table chart” is redundant, “the station was opened” inaccurately describes the railway system, and “peaple” and “relitvely” are misspelled. Phrases such as “complete 155 route” are also unclear. Aim for accurate collocations such as “the network spans” and “carried … passengers per year,” while checking spelling and choosing terms that match the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “cities of the world including…” and comparisons introduced by “while” and “however.” The main information is usually recoverable, but errors in verb forms, sentence construction and punctuation remain noticeable. For example, “Tokyo … was introduced … and carring” shifts from a finite verb to an incorrect participle, while “it complete 155 route” has an incorrect verb form and an incomplete grammatical pattern. The London sentence also needs clearer punctuation between the route information and the passenger figure. Work on consistent past-tense reporting, complete clauses, and sentence boundaries; these changes would make your varied structures more controlled.

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