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 illustrates the data of underground railway system's passengers per year (in millions), grouped by six cities. It also mention the opening date and the length of the route of the system if each city.

Overall, it can be seen that Tokyo has the maximum number of passangers with moderate length of route while kyoto has the minimum number of passengers per year with minimum route length.

On a deeper inspection, it is revealed that London's underground railway system is the oldest of all the presented, yet it has the largest route of all.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the table’s subject and give an overview of two important extremes: Tokyo has the highest annual passenger figure, while Kyoto has the lowest, and London is the oldest system with the longest route. These are relevant main features. However, the response covers only a small part of the data: it gives no figures and makes no comparisons involving Paris, Washington DC or Los Angeles. The claim that Kyoto has the minimum route length is also inaccurate, since Los Angeles has a longer route. The required minimum length is not met, which further limits how much of the task is addressed. To improve, include accurate figures and compare the systems across all three measures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview beginning with “Overall,” and a final paragraph that adds a detail about London. This makes the main points reasonably easy to locate. However, the progression is limited because the final paragraph develops only one city, and there is no organised comparison of the remaining systems. The overview also repeats the idea of minimum route length and passenger numbers without moving on to other key contrasts. Use a clearer grouping—for example, older and longer systems versus newer and shorter ones—and connect comparisons with phrases such as “by contrast” or “whereas” to guide the reader through the data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “passengers per year,” “opening date,” “length of the route,” and “oldest.” This is enough to communicate the general subject, but the range is narrow and several choices are inaccurate or awkward. “Maximum number of passengers” would be more naturally expressed as “highest annual passenger figure,” while “moderate length of route” is vague and does not clearly describe Tokyo’s position. There are also spelling errors in “passangers” and “kyoto.” Use precise comparative language and the table’s units, such as “route length,” “annual ridership,” and “kilometres,” to report the data more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes a few sentence forms, including the overview clause “it can be seen that…” and the contrast introduced by “while.” Most of the meaning remains understandable, but grammatical control is uneven. In the introduction, “It also mention” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, and “the length of the route of the system if each city” contains an incorrect preposition and an unclear construction. The phrase “underground railway system's passengers” also uses an awkward possessive structure. Aim for direct, complete sentences, such as “The table also shows when each system opened and its route length.” Check agreement, articles and sentence construction when revising.

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