Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-28

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 data displays the details about underground railways system in London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.

Overall, there has been highest number of passenger in Tokyo railway system, which opened in 1927 while Kyoto has least number of travellers which build in 1981. However, all other cities has been moderate passengers count, opened in specified years.

Kyoto, which had 11 kilometer smallest route in 1981, has been least passengers number followed by Los Angeles having 28 km travelling path in 2001, has 50 million passengers per year. In addition, Washington DC which has been build in 1976, had 126 km railway route which has been held 144 million travellers annually.

In Londion, Paris and Tokyo, all railway stations had build before 1927, which have large routes 155, 199 and 394km respectively. Moreover, these routes held more passenger count of 1191 millions and 1927 milllions per year in Paris and Tokyo while London have considerably less travellers than both cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main contrasts: Tokyo has the highest annual passenger figure, Kyoto the lowest, and London is the oldest system. You also include relevant figures for route length and opening dates. However, the overview is not fully accurate or clear: “all other cities has been moderate passengers count” does not convey the substantial differences, and the comparison of London, Paris and Tokyo gives their route lengths in an order that does not match the cities named. London’s passenger total is also not stated, despite being important for comparison. To strengthen the response, select the key extremes accurately and compare all six systems with precise figures, rather than relying on broad descriptions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the smaller systems and then the three older networks. This gives the reader some sense of grouping. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow: the final paragraph lists route lengths in an order that conflicts with the city order, then gives passenger figures without London’s figure. Linking phrases such as “However,” “In addition,” and “Moreover” are used, but they do not always make the relationships between facts clear. Organise the data consistently—for example, compare the oldest systems together and the newer systems together—and use clear city-by-city references so each figure is unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “route,” “annually,” “passengers,” and “opened,” and you attempt alternatives such as “travellers” and “railway system.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “passengers count,” “travelling path,” and “routes held more passenger count.” There are also spelling errors such as “Londion” and “milllions,” which reduce precision. The range is sufficient to communicate the general topic, but repeated reliance on “passengers” and “route” limits flexibility. Aim for standard data-reporting phrases such as “annual ridership,” “route length,” and “carried” or “served” a stated number of passengers.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including relative clauses such as “Kyoto, which had…” and a contrast introduced by “while.” However, errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. Examples include “all other cities has,” “which build in 1981,” and “which has been held 144 million travellers.” The final sentence also shifts between plural and singular subjects and uses an unclear structure: “these routes held… while London have.” Practise accurate past-tense reporting and subject–verb agreement, and keep each comparison in a complete, direct sentence. These changes would make the data easier to understand.

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