Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-31

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 chart depicts information about the underground railway system in six different cities.

Overall, London route is the biggest route as compare to other railway systems and the Los Angeles has the smallest route. Whereas, tokyo passengers per year are the most and least people were recorded in kyoto.

First of all, London railway system was opened in 1863 and the route was about 394 kilometers and passengers per year were 775 million. Paris train station was established in 1900 and a route of 199 kilometers, while total number of travelers was 1191 million. Moreover, Tokyo had the most travelers recorded as 1927 million per year and built on 1927 about 155 kilometers.

Furthermore, Washington Dc station was opened in 1976 and about 126 kilometers and the passengers were 144 million per year. Furthermore, Kyoto station was opened in 1981 and has the smallest route 11 kilometer and commuters were the least in this city as 45 million annually. Lastly, Los Angeles train station was opened in 2001 and the route was about 28 kilometers and the commuters were 50 million per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You include all six cities and report the opening dates, route lengths and annual passenger figures, with a useful overview identifying London as having the longest route and Tokyo the highest passenger total. However, the overview is not fully accurate: Los Angeles does not have the shortest route; Kyoto does, at 11 km. The claim that Kyoto has the fewest passengers is correct, but the comparison would be stronger if you also highlighted the contrast between Tokyo’s high usage and its relatively shorter route than London’s. Some details are reported without clear comparison, so the main features are only partly synthesised. Check each superlative against the figures and make the overview precise before presenting the city-by-city details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs. The information is generally presented in a sensible sequence, and linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “Furthermore” and “Lastly” help signal movement between cities. However, the progression is mostly a list rather than a comparison of related figures, and repeated use of “Furthermore” makes the linking mechanical. The overview’s “Whereas” construction is also awkwardly attached to the preceding sentence, weakening the relationship between the two points. Grouping cities by a shared feature—for example, the older, larger systems and the newer, shorter ones—and using clearer comparisons would make the organisation more purposeful and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of task-related terms, including “route,” “passengers,” “travelers,” “commuters” and “annually,” so the data is usually understandable. There are also attempts to vary wording, such as “established” and “recorded.” However, some choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this table: “train station” refers to a station rather than an underground railway system, and “biggest route” is less precise than “longest network.” “As compare to” and “the least people” also show weak collocation or word form. Aim for precise, consistent terms such as “system,” “network length” and “annual ridership,” and avoid changing labels when the meaning is not equivalent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple sentences and more complex structures, including comparisons introduced with “while” and “whereas.” The main information remains understandable, but errors occur often enough to make several sentences awkward. For example, “London route is the biggest route” is missing a possessive article and uses an unsuitable structure, while “Paris train station was established in 1900 and a route of 199 kilometers” lacks a complete second clause. In “Tokyo had the most travelers recorded as 1927 million per year and built on 1927,” the verb pattern and tense are faulty. Check articles, sentence completeness and parallel verb forms; a clear pattern such as “The system opened in [year], had a network of [length], and carried [number] passengers annually” would improve control.

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