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 table chart illustrates the information about underground railway systyms in six cities .

Overall, London was the first country to build 394 kilometers logest underground railway system in 1863 but attracted few million passengers . Whereas, Tokyo had only 155 kilometers railway system which was not as long as London and Paris but the numbers of its passengers were higer than both countries .

Paris was the second country in the table to construct railway system in 1900 and it was 199 kilometer long .1191 million passengers travelled throught it every year which were 63% less than Tokyo .

Although , Tokyo built its raiway 27 years after paris and was not as lenghty as London and Paris but its passengers wrere higher than Washignton Dc tokyo and Los angeles . .

The last three countries made underground railway systems between 1970 to 2001 and the total lenght of their railways was about 180 kilometers and number of passengers who use these railways was approximately 250 millions per year far behind than tokyo and Paris .

To sum up , London had the longest underground system with less passengers than Washington DC. Tokyo had the highest recorded ratio amount of passengers with smallest railway system than previous ones .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important comparisons, including London as the oldest and longest system and Tokyo as having the highest annual passenger figure. You also include figures for Paris and group the three newer systems, so the response addresses the table rather than merely listing isolated data. However, some key details are inaccurate or unclear: London did not attract “few” passengers in comparison with all cities, and the final summary incorrectly says it had fewer passengers than Washington DC, although 775 million is far above 144 million. The claim that Tokyo’s passenger total was “63% less than Tokyo” is also self-contradictory. To strengthen the overview, accurately state the main extremes and compare the systems using the correct figures, including Kyoto’s shortest route and lowest passenger total.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an opening, an overview, and paragraphs discussing the older and newer systems. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is grouped. However, progression is weakened by unclear links and repeated or confusing comparisons. For example, “higher than Washington DC tokyo and Los angeles” does not make the intended comparison clear, while “To sum up” repeats the overview without resolving the earlier inaccuracies. Connectors such as “Whereas” and “Although” are used, but the latter introduces a sentence whose comparison is difficult to follow. Organise the details into clear comparisons—perhaps oldest/largest systems and newer/smaller systems—and use references and linking phrases that make each relationship explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “underground railway system,” “passengers,” “kilometers,” and “construct,” and you attempt to describe comparisons with phrases such as “not as long as.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms make the meaning awkward: “first country” refers to a city, “ratio amount of passengers” is not a natural way to describe the highest total, and “far behind than” is an inaccurate comparison. Spelling errors such as “systyms,” “higer,” “raiway,” and “lenghty” are noticeable and reduce clarity. Aim for precise, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, describe passenger figures as annual totals and routes as longer or shorter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “Although” and a relative clause in “passengers who use these railways.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors in sentence boundaries, agreement, articles, and punctuation occur frequently enough to make some comparisons difficult to understand. For instance, “Although, Tokyo built its raiway … but its passengers were higher” combines two contrasting structures, and “the numbers of its passengers were higher” has an awkward agreement pattern. Several sentences also run together, as in the comparison beginning “Whereas, Tokyo…”. Use one clear main clause for each comparison, check singular and plural forms, and punctuate sentence endings consistently.

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

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