Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-27

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 demostrates the information about the underground railway system in six different cities.The terms are discussed in millions.

Overall, Tokyo shows an incredible increase for passengers in one year, while london railway cover a huge distance and also passengers show in interst in travelling. In contrast, kyoto the ratio of passengers in one year is very low.

In London the railways system introduced in 1863 which cover 394km route and 775m passengers travel in every year. While in Paris the railway cover 199km distance with 1191m passengers tavelling per year. In contrast tokyo railways distance is 155km however, 1927m individuals travel in one year.

On the other hand, Washington DC railways cover 126km and 144m people use in each year. While Los Angeles, railways cover 28km and 50m visitors use this every year. Furthermore in Kyoto, the trains only go for 11km which is very short distance and less number of passengers travel each year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You report the key figures for all six cities and make relevant comparisons, especially between Tokyo’s high annual passenger total and London’s longest route. The overview also identifies Kyoto as having a very short route and low usage. However, some main features are not fully or accurately expressed: “Tokyo shows an incredible increase” suggests a change over time, whereas the table gives a single passenger figure, and London’s passenger use is not the highest. The overview could more clearly compare the oldest and newest systems, as well as the extremes in route length and passenger numbers. More precise selection and interpretation of the data would make the summary more complete and clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs grouping the cities. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow, and comparisons such as Paris versus Tokyo are placed together. However, linking is sometimes mechanical or unclear. Repeated openings such as “While” and “In contrast” do not always express a genuine contrast, and the sentence beginning “Overall” combines several points without a clear relationship. Some references are also vague, as in “use this every year.” Improve progression by grouping cities according to a clear feature—for example, older and longer systems versus newer and shorter ones—and use linking phrases only when the relationship between figures is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “route,” “distance,” “passengers,” and “introduced,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations are inaccurate: “shows an incredible increase” does not describe a single figure, “passengers show in interst” is unclear, and “visitors use this” is not an appropriate description of railway passengers. There are also spelling errors such as “demostrates,” “london,” and “tavelling.” Aim for precise, neutral data-reporting language and check spelling. Terms such as “annual passenger numbers,” “carried,” and “the network extends” would help you describe the figures more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons with “while” and “however,” and the main figures can usually be understood. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries. For example, “the underground railway system in six different cities.The terms” needs a space and clearer punctuation, while “the railway cover” should use a plural subject or a singular verb consistently. In “In London the railways system introduced,” the passive construction needs an auxiliary verb, and “in every year” is not a natural grammatical time expression. Review subject–verb agreement and complete verb forms, and punctuate clauses carefully to make the comparisons easier to read.

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