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 given take provies information about the underground railway system in six urban areas.

Overall, it can be seen that Tokyo has the highest number of passengers per year whereas Kyoto has the lowest number. Meanwhile, London covers largest underground railway system route while Kyoto has the smallest route and it's the oldest railway system among all the cities.

In the beginning, Kyoto has the oldest underground railway system which was built in 1981 but it covers only 11 kilometers of route and 45 million people use it per year. In contrast, Tokyo built it in 1927 and 1927 million people use it per year. At the same time, Paris covers the second longest route and it's 199 kilometers which also used by 1191 million people per year.

On the other ha d, Los Angeles developed their underground railway system in 2001 which is 28 kilometers long and used by 50 million commuter per years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify some key comparisons, including Tokyo’s highest annual passenger figure, Kyoto’s lowest, and London’s longest route. However, the overview incorrectly calls Kyoto the oldest system: London opened in 1863, while Kyoto opened in 1981. The report also omits several important figures and comparisons, especially London’s and Washington DC’s data, and does not clearly describe the full pattern across all six cities. Some details are reported inaccurately or unclearly, such as saying Kyoto was “built in 1981” rather than stating that its system opened then. To strengthen the response, select the main extremes accurately, cover all cities in a balanced way, and compare route length with passenger numbers without confusing the dates or rankings.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and detail paragraphs. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “On the other hand” help signal comparisons. However, the progression is incomplete and uneven: London and Washington DC are not discussed, and the final paragraph gives only one city’s details. Some links do not express a clear contrast, while “In the beginning” is not a natural way to introduce data about Kyoto. The overview also combines unrelated points, including Kyoto’s route size and age, making the comparison harder to follow. Grouping the cities by older/newer systems or by high/low route length and ridership would create a clearer progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “highest number,” “covers,” “route,” and “per year,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward for this context. “The given take” appears to be an incorrect word choice, and “covers largest underground railway system route” is not a natural collocation. “Commuter” is also not the right term for the annual passenger total, and “urban areas” is less precise than “cities” here. Aim for accurate data-reporting language such as “opened,” “route length,” “carried,” and “annual passenger numbers.” Check spelling and word forms carefully, as errors such as “provies” and “ha d” distract from the information.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast structure with “whereas” and a sentence beginning “Meanwhile.” Most of the intended meaning can be understood, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical patterns recur. For example, “London covers largest underground railway system route” is missing an article and has an unclear structure, while “which also used by 1191 million people” lacks the auxiliary verb “is.” The phrase “Los Angeles developed their underground railway system” has a subject–pronoun agreement problem, and “per years” uses an incorrect plural form. Practise complete relative clauses and consistent subject–verb agreement, and use past tense for opening dates and present tense for general figures.

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

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