Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-26

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 gives information of six cities in the world about underground railway system and shared some numerical data to summerise the information and make comperison.

According to the table data all six railway system opening date is between 1863 to 2001 while London system is oldest one furhtermore Los Angelos is newest among all of them. Informational data shows that London railway is the longest station route wise with 394 kilometers and the Kyoto and Los Angeles is smalles one with distance 11km and 28km respectivelly. While other cities railway stations have fair enough track system not to much longer and not much smaller.

Furthermore we talking about the numbers of passengers used this railway station over the year. Tokyo and Paris system have huge number of passengers throghout the year 1927 and 1191 respectivelly. On the other hand remaining railway system have not much passengers and the numbers is below under one thousand.

In conclusion, we have seen that the peoples in Paris and Tokyo used more while other ones shows low interest.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important comparisons: London is the oldest system and has the longest route, while Los Angeles is the newest, and Tokyo and Paris carry the most passengers. However, the overview is not sufficiently precise, and some details are inaccurate or unclear. For example, Kyoto and Los Angeles are described as the “smalles one,” although Kyoto has the shortest route and Los Angeles the second-shortest. The passenger figures are also presented as “1927 and 1191” without clearly stating that these are millions, and the claim that the remaining systems are below one thousand overlooks the need to compare their figures accurately. Include a concise overview and report the key extremes with precise data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, two paragraphs of comparisons, and a concluding sentence. Sequencing from opening dates and route lengths to passenger numbers helps the reader follow the main categories. Linking expressions such as “Furthermore” and “On the other hand” also show an attempt to connect ideas. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear, particularly “While other cities railway stations have fair enough track system,” which does not explain how the remaining systems compare. The conclusion repeats the broad point about passenger numbers rather than adding a clear summary of the main features. Grouping the figures more systematically and using clearer references to each city would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “route,” “passengers,” “oldest,” and “newest,” so the reader can understand the general subject. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate enough to make parts difficult to interpret. For instance, “longest station route wise” is awkward, while “fair enough track system” does not clearly describe the route lengths. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “summerise,” “comperison,” “furhtermore,” and “respectivelly.” Use precise terms such as “route length,” “annual passenger numbers,” and “shortest network,” and check spelling carefully. This would make comparisons clearer and more appropriate for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine ideas using clauses and linking words, as in “While other cities railway stations have fair enough track system,” but control of sentence structure is inconsistent. The opening sentence, “The given table gives information of six cities in the world about underground railway system,” has an awkward grammatical pattern, and several sentences omit or misuse articles and possessives. In “the numbers is below under one thousand,” the subject and verb do not agree, and the construction is not grammatically complete. The final sentence, “the peoples in Paris and Tokyo used more,” also has problems with plural formation and tense. Practise accurate simple comparison sentences first, then add complex clauses while checking agreement, articles, and tense.

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