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 given table shows the information of underground railway stations in 6 different cities.

Overall, There are six cities of differenten countries with a starting dates, number of passengers in million who travels per year from these underground sation and the route lenght in kilometers.

On the top of the table London railway station is mentioned which was construted in 1863 with the route of 394 Km.775 M passenger travel through this underground station yearly although the passenger capacity is less but tops the table with larger route then any station in the list. The second one is Paris station which was inagurated in 1900 had route size of 199 Km which is less then London station but larger number of people travel through this station that is 1191M which is far more then london.

The next city with undergorund station is Tokyo with small route size of 155km and passneger travels is more the any in the table which is1927 M per year. The next is Washigton DC which was constructed in 1976 with 126km route had less passangers per year.

The last two was constructed in 1981 and 2001 respectivly had very small route which is 11km and 28 km respectivly also had less passengers per year

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the table’s subject and report several important comparisons, including London’s earliest opening and longest route, and Tokyo’s highest annual passenger figure. These details show a relevant response to the task. However, the overview is mostly a list of what the table contains rather than a clear summary of its main patterns. Some figures are also missing or imprecise: Washington’s passenger total is not stated, and the final sentence does not give the passenger figures for Kyoto and Los Angeles. Make the overview more analytical—for example, contrast the older, larger systems with the newer, shorter ones—and report the key figures for all six cities accurately. This would make the coverage more complete and the main features clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a broadly understandable order, moving from London and Paris to Tokyo, Washington, and then the two newest systems. Comparisons such as London’s route being longer than Paris’s also help connect information. However, the writing is largely one continuous sequence of city-by-city descriptions, with limited paragraphing and little distinction between an overview and supporting details. Repeated transitions such as “The next” and “The last two” make the progression mechanical, while some references, including “the last two,” require the reader to infer which cities are meant. Use a separate overview paragraph followed by grouped comparisons, and vary linking phrases to show contrasts and similarities more clearly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “route,” “passengers,” “yearly,” and “inaugurated,” and the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “passenger capacity” for annual passenger numbers and “railway station” for an underground railway system. Spelling errors—including “lenght,” “passneger,” and “respectivly”—are noticeable, and repeated use of “station” and “route” reduces precision. Choose terms that match the data exactly, such as “annual passenger numbers” and “route length,” and check spelling carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences using contrast and relative clauses, for example, “which was constructed in 1863” and “which is less than London station.” However, these structures are often not controlled accurately, and many sentences contain errors that make the information harder to follow. Examples include “There are six cities … with a starting dates” and “The last two was constructed,” where agreement is incorrect. Tense and sentence boundaries also need attention: “had route size of 199 Km which is less” shifts between past and present, and the opening overview is followed by a long, loosely punctuated sentence. Practise accurate simple comparisons first, then combine them using controlled clauses.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.