Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-23

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 illustrates the information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

Overall, among all the cities, the railway system of London is the oldest one along with the most longest route.Tokyo Railway system is leading with highest number of passengers per year.

The Railway Systems of London, Paris and Tokyo is among the oldest Railway systems out of all six cities which were opened 1863, 1900 and 1927 respectively.Out of these old Railway system London got the longest route covering 394 Kilometers and Tokyo is the shortest One with 155 Kilometers covered.Despite short route Tokyo is leading the table in terms of passenger per year that is 1927 million.

The remaining three Railway Systems opened later , among them the shortest route is of Kyoto covering 11 kilometers . Most recently opened is Los Angeles in 2001 , with second shortest route of 28 kilometers Washington DC opened in 1976 and passenger travelling per is 144 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main comparisons: London’s system opened earliest and has the longest route, while Tokyo carries the most passengers. You also include figures for all six cities and note that Kyoto has the shortest route and Los Angeles opened most recently. This covers the task’s key features, but some comparisons are incomplete or unclear. For example, calling Tokyo “the shortest” among the three older systems is accurate only within that group, and the overview could more clearly compare the newer systems’ passenger numbers. The statement that London has “the most longest route” also obscures an otherwise relevant overview point. To strengthen the response, summarise the largest and smallest figures across all six cities and make the contrasts between route length and passenger use more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs grouping the older and newer systems. This gives the information a generally coherent arrangement, and phrases such as “among them” and “Despite short route” attempt to connect comparisons. However, progression within the final paragraph is difficult to follow: Kyoto, Los Angeles and Washington are presented in an order that shifts between route length and opening date, while the relationship between the details is not always clear. Some linking is also mechanical or incomplete, and punctuation spacing makes sentence boundaries less clear. Organise each body paragraph around a consistent comparison, such as opening date followed by route length and passenger use, and use clearer transitions between those points.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “opened,” “covering,” “route,” and “passengers per year,” so the main information is understandable. There are also attempts to vary expression, such as “leading with highest number.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward: “most longest route,” “shortest One,” and “passenger travelling per year” do not express the comparisons naturally. Capitalisation is inconsistent, and repeated use of “Railway Systems” limits the range. Choose standard data-reporting phrases and use them consistently—for example, “the longest route,” “the fewest passengers,” and “annual passenger numbers.” More precise vocabulary would make the comparisons clearer without requiring more complex wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which were opened” and a contrast introduced by “Despite.” The main comparisons can generally be understood, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “The Railway Systems … is” has subject–verb disagreement, while “which were opened 1863” is missing the preposition “in.” The sentence beginning “Most recently opened is Los Angeles” has an awkward word order, and the final clause, “passenger travelling per is 144 million,” is incomplete. Punctuation and spacing also need attention, particularly around full stops. Review agreement, articles and prepositions, and check that each sentence has a complete, clearly ordered clause.

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