Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-30

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 gives information about underground railway systems in six different cities like London Paris,Tokyo,Washington DC,Kyoto and Los Angeles.

Overall, London have highest and oldest underground railway system with a route of 394km, while Kyoto have small railway system all over the major cities with a route of 11km. Paris is on the second number with a route of 199km. Tokyo is on number Third with 155km long railway system.Washington DC have 126 km long ,Lastly LOS Angeles which have 28km.

However, the number of passengers travelling on all theses railways where totally different London have longest railway system but number of passengers travelling on it where low as compared to Tokyo and Paris 775 millions passengers travel on it. Tokyo was established on 1927 most peoples travel on it 1927 million per year. on other side Kyoto ranks on least number according to route established on 1981 only 45 million peoples where travel on it .Lastly Los Angeles established on 2001 Route is only 28 km only roughly 50 million people travell on it

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the table’s subject and provide an overview that highlights London as the oldest and longest system and Kyoto as the shortest. You also compare route lengths and passenger totals, including Tokyo’s high annual use and the lower figures for Kyoto and Los Angeles. This addresses the main parts of the task, but some information is less fully reported: Paris’s passenger figure and Washington DC’s passenger figure are omitted, and the comparisons between cities are not consistently developed. The statement that London’s passenger number is low is relevant, but it would be clearer to compare it directly with Tokyo and Paris. A more complete summary of all six systems’ key contrasts would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph about passenger numbers. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the paragraphs is uneven, and several details are presented as a list rather than grouped into clear comparisons. Connectors such as “However,” “on other side,” and “Lastly” are used, but some do not express the relationship between the ideas precisely; the shift to passenger figures, for example, could be signposted more clearly. Punctuation and spacing also make some sentences run together. Grouping the largest systems and busiest systems separately, then using clear comparison links, would make the organisation more coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “route,” “passengers,” “established,” and “ranks,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and some phrases are imprecise or repetitive, such as “on the second number,” “on number Third,” and “small railway system all over the major cities.” “Passengers travelling on all these railways” is also less natural than a concise description of annual passenger numbers. There are noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “theses,” “peoples,” and “travell,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for standard comparison language and precise terms such as “the second-longest network” and “carried the most passengers annually.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the overall meaning can usually be followed. However, errors in agreement and verb forms recur: “London have” and “Kyoto have” should use a singular verb, while “where totally different” appears to be an incorrect form of “were.” Tense and sentence construction are also inconsistent in phrases such as “Tokyo was established on 1927 most peoples travel on it.” Several sentences lack punctuation or contain multiple ideas joined without clear boundaries, as in the final section. Use a consistent present tense for describing the table, check subject–verb agreement, and separate comparisons into complete sentences. These changes would improve control while retaining your attempts at varied sentence forms.

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