Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-24

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 below table illustrates information about the underground railway system in different cities. It covers different metrics covering city, date opened, total length, and passenger they accomodate in a year.

The oldest railway system is London, covering 394 kms and it accomodates 775 million passengers per year. It is also the longest route in contrast with the other routes.

The most passengers are accomodated in Tokyo, It became operational in 1927. It covers 155 kms and carries 1927 million passengers in a year.

The shortest route is Kyoto, it is least popular. It was opened in 1981. It covers 11 kms and carries just 45 passengers in a year.

The second shortes route is Los Angeles. It was opened during 2001. It is the most new one in contrast with the other routes. It covers 28 Kms and carries just 50 passengers in a year.

The other routes can be summarized to be opened during 1900 - 1981. They covers 126 kms to 199 km. While accomodating 144 - 1191 passengers in a year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important features, including London as the oldest and longest system, Tokyo as having the highest annual passenger total, and Kyoto as the shortest. You also include figures for most cities. However, the overview is incomplete: the response does not clearly compare the systems as a whole, such as the contrast between Tokyo’s high passenger use and London’s much longer route. The final sentence groups Paris and Washington with a broad range but does not name them or report their individual figures, and its date range is inaccurate because it includes years beyond those cities’ opening dates. Develop the overview and report the remaining data more precisely to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged in a generally understandable sequence, moving from London to the passenger leader and then to the two smallest systems before mentioning the remaining cities. This gives the reader a basic progression, and each main point is separated into its own paragraph. However, the organisation is largely a series of city-by-city statements rather than a clear overview followed by purposeful comparisons. The final paragraph is difficult to follow because “The other routes” is vague and the figures are not linked to named cities. Some linking phrases, such as “in contrast with the other routes,” do not establish a meaningful contrast. Grouping the data by key similarities and differences would make the progression clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “oldest,” “longest route,” “operational,” and “carries,” so the main information is generally understandable. However, the range is somewhat repetitive, particularly with repeated uses of “covers” and “opened,” and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate. For example, “passengers they accommodate” is awkward, while “the most new one” is not a natural way to describe the latest system. There are also spelling errors in “accomodates” and “shortes,” and inconsistent capitalisation in “Kms.” Use more precise terms such as “route length,” “annual ridership,” and “most recently opened,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You communicate the main comparisons using mostly straightforward sentence patterns, and several sentences are grammatically clear, such as “It became operational in 1927.” There are also attempts to combine ideas, but some sentence structures and punctuation need more control. “The shortest route is Kyoto, it is least popular” joins two independent clauses with only a comma, while “While accomodating 144 - 1191 passengers in a year” is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. Agreement is also inconsistent in “They covers,” and the capital letter after the comma in “Tokyo, It” is incorrect. Practise forming complete sentences and checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation while retaining a mix of simple and complex structures.

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