Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-02

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 given above illustrates the information about the underground railway systems in six different cities.The oldest railway station is in Londan which was opened in 1863 and newly opened is in Los Angeles which started in 2001.The highest numbers of kilometers of route is covered by london railway system 394km and least are by kyoto and Los Angeles which are just 11 and 28.

If we talk about the numbers of passengers per year, Tokyo and Paris transports about 1927 and 1191 millions which are at top and least by Kyoto and Los Angeles about 45 and 50 millions.

The railway system of Washington DC was opened in 1976 ,covered route of 126 and transporting passenger about 144 millions annually.The earliest railway station;London moved about 775 milions of passengers per year.

To conclude,London is at the top of list for covering more route and Tokyo for dispatching more passengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several key comparisons: London is the oldest system and has the longest route, while Tokyo carries the most passengers; you also mention the newest system and the low figures for Kyoto and Los Angeles. However, the overview is incomplete and some details are unclear: Kyoto has the shortest route, whereas Los Angeles has the second-shortest, not a joint minimum. The response also omits Paris’s opening date and route length, and gives limited comparison of the figures across all six cities. The required minimum length is not met: the response contains 144 words, six short, and eight words copied from the prompt were not counted. Add a fuller overview and report the main contrasts more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: it introduces the table, groups some passenger and route information, and ends with a concluding comparison. This helps the reader follow the main points. However, progression is limited because several figures are presented in short, loosely connected statements rather than organised into clear comparisons. The phrase “If we talk about” is conversational, and the final “To conclude” repeats points already made without adding a synthesis. Some linking and punctuation are also awkward, such as the semicolon in “The earliest railway station;London.” Grouping the cities by notable features—for example, older and larger systems versus newer and smaller ones—would create a clearer progression and make comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the basic information, including “underground railway systems,” “route,” “passengers per year,” and “annually.” However, the range is limited, and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing the table. “Railway station” refers to a station rather than a whole system, while “dispatching” and “transports” are not natural choices for passenger totals. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “Londan” and “milions,” and inconsistent capitalisation of city names. These do not prevent the reader from understanding the main comparisons, but they reduce precision. Use standard terms such as “system,” “carried,” and “recorded,” and check spelling and capitalisation carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt some sentence variety, including a conditional opening (“If we talk about…”) and a concluding sentence, but most of the response relies on simple statements or fragments, so the range is limited. Errors occur in sentence structure and agreement: “The highest numbers of kilometers of route is covered” has a plural subject with a singular verb and an awkward passive construction, while “Tokyo and Paris transports” also has a plural subject with a singular verb. The opening sentence runs directly into the next one without a space after the full stop, and punctuation around “1976 ,covered” is faulty. These errors sometimes make the wording harder to process. Practise accurate comparisons using complete sentences, such as “London’s network is the longest, at 394 km.”

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

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