Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-29

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 compares six cities and information about their subway system along their opening years. Overall, it is clear that each underground railway system took how much passengers per year and its covering distance.

The first city which opened their underground railway system was London. The city opened its first underground railway in 1863 which can be travelled upto 394 kilometers with 775 millions of passengers per year. The second city was paris which opened its subway in 1900 which can covered the distance upto 199 kilometers with 1191 millions of passengers per year. Although, its track was less than Londan but it can took many passengers than Londan per year.

The third city was Tokyo which opened their system in 1927 with only 155 kilometers of route and 1927 millions of passengers per year which were higher than all cities. Meanwhile, there was also another subway station which was opened in Kyoto in 1981 which can travelled upto 11 kilometers of route with 45 millions passenger per year which was lower than all.

The other city was Washington DC and Los Angeles which opened their subways in 1976 and 2001. LA underground railway system can travelled upto 28 kilometers of route with 50 millions passenger per year alongside Washington DC which can only covered 126 kilometers of track distance with 144 millions passengers only in an year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report the main figures for all six cities and make relevant comparisons, especially noting that Tokyo has the highest annual passenger total and Kyoto the lowest. You also identify London as the earliest system and give route lengths and opening dates for the cities. However, the overview is unclear: “each underground railway system took how much passengers per year and its covering distance” does not summarise the main patterns. Some details are also inaccurate or confusing, such as saying Paris “can took many passengers” without clearly comparing its total with London’s, and describing Tokyo’s passenger figure as “higher than all cities” without specifying that this refers to annual passengers. A clearer overview of the oldest/largest and busiest/smallest systems, followed by precise comparisons, would make the response more complete and focused.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is divided into paragraphs and generally moves through the cities in a recognisable order, so the reader can follow much of the information. You also use linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Although,” and “Meanwhile.” However, the progression is not consistently logical: the final paragraph introduces Washington DC and Los Angeles together, then discusses Los Angeles before Washington, while the earlier paragraphs group cities inconsistently. Several links are awkward or unclear, including “Although, its track was less than Londan but…” and “alongside Washington DC,” which makes the comparison difficult to follow. The overview does not establish a clear organising pattern. Grouping the systems by age or by passenger/route extremes and using accurate comparison links would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “underground railway system,” “route,” “passengers per year,” and “opened,” and the main subject remains understandable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repeated or used inaccurately. “The table chart” is redundant, “subway station” does not accurately describe a railway system, and “covering distance” and “can travelled” are unnatural collocations. Spelling errors such as “Londan” and the lower-case “paris” also reduce accuracy. These choices sometimes make the intended comparison less clear. Aim for precise terms such as “network,” “route length,” and “carried,” and vary the language used to report figures rather than repeating “with” and “can.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including a comparison beginning “Although” and clauses introduced by “which.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some relationships difficult to interpret. Examples include “which can be travelled upto 394 kilometers,” “which can covered,” and “it can took many passengers”; these contain incorrect verb forms and tense choices. There are also agreement and article problems, as in “The first city which opened their underground railway system,” and the sentence beginning “The other city was Washington DC and Los Angeles” does not handle the plural subject correctly. Use past simple forms consistently for the historical data, check subject–verb agreement, and punctuate contrast clauses carefully.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.