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 table illustrates the underground railway system in six cities namely London, Paris,Tokyo,Washington DC,Kyoto and Los Angeles. The passengers who travelled by train every year are in millions.

Overall, London was the first city in which railway system developed first, and cover more area than others. While tokyo railway use more for travelling. In contrast Kyoto covers less area and used by lower people.

London railway opened at 1863 and it covers 394 kilometers of route and used by 775 million people every year. Furthermore, Paris and tokyo opened in the early 19th which cover about more than 50km of route and these are used by 1191million and 1927million (respectively) passengers per year.

Washington DC and kyoto railway started in the end of 19th and cover 126km and 11km of route . The people who travelled by train are 144million and 45million per year respectively. Los Angeles train opened in 2001 which has short route of 28km and 50 million passengers are yearly travelled by train.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the table’s subject and provide an overview that highlights London’s early opening and longest route, as well as Tokyo’s high passenger use and Kyoto’s small network. You also report many figures accurately, including London’s 394 km and 775 million passengers and Tokyo’s 1,927 million passengers. However, some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate: Paris and Tokyo did not open in the “early 19th” century, and Washington DC and Kyoto did not start “in the end of 19th” century. The overview also says Tokyo’s railway is “use more” without clearly stating that it carries the most passengers. To strengthen the response, compare the six systems more precisely and ensure the opening dates and key extremes are accurately summarised.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs grouping the cities. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow, and “respectively” helps connect the paired figures for Washington DC and Kyoto. Some links are mechanical or unclear, however. The overview begins a contrast with “While” but does not complete a balanced comparison, and “Furthermore” introduces Paris and Tokyo without explaining how they relate to London. The grouping also shifts between opening dates, route lengths, and passenger totals without a consistent comparison pattern. Use clearer transitions and organise the details around meaningful contrasts, such as oldest/largest systems and newer/smaller systems.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “route,” “passengers,” “covers,” and “respectively,” so the main information is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are awkward, such as “railway system developed first,” “used by lower people,” and “people who travelled by train.” Repetition of “opened,” “covers,” and “used” also makes the description less precise. Choose standard data-reporting expressions and vary them appropriately—for example, describe a system as having a route length or carrying a number of passengers. Check city-name capitalisation and spacing as well, since inconsistent presentation detracts from the overall control of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “London was the first city in which railway system developed first” and a contrast introduced by “In contrast.” However, the complex structures are often faulty, and errors recur in articles, verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction. For example, “London railway opened at 1863” has an incorrect preposition and missing article, while “it covers 394 kilometers … and used by 775 million people” does not maintain a consistent verb structure. The overview fragment beginning “While” is also incomplete. Practise building accurate comparisons with parallel forms, such as “opened in … and carries …,” and check each sentence for a complete clause and consistent tense.

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