Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-08

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 6.0)

The table compares the information between six cities regarding the underground railway systems.

Overall data shows, London has the oldest system with the highest kilometers of route while Tokyo carries the highest number of passengers in each year.

London started the system in 1863 (older than other cities) with 394 kilometers of route(higher than other cities) with a number of 775 millions passengers every year. Paris is the 2nd oldest system opened in 1900 with 199 kilometers of route and 1191 millions passengers. Tokyo opened in 1927 with similar number of passengers covering 155 kilometers.

In Washington DC, the process commened in 1976 with 126 kilometers of route and 144 miilions of travelers. Kyoto began its journey in 1981 with the lowest kilometers of 11 by carrying 45 millions of passengers which is the lowest number among all. Finally Los Angeles is the latest city to run the scheme started in 2001 with the 2nd lowest of 28 kilometers of route and 50 millions of passengers.

Overall, the table organised as the oldest to the latest order of starting the system.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all six cities and report the key measures, with a useful overview identifying London as the oldest and longest system and Tokyo as the busiest. You also make relevant comparisons, such as Kyoto having the shortest route and fewest passengers. This meets the task well overall, but some details are less fully or precisely expressed. For example, “Tokyo opened in 1927 with similar number of passengers” does not clearly state that its annual figure is the highest, and “similar” is misleading given the figures. The final overview about the table being ordered by opening date repeats information rather than highlighting another major pattern. Make the overview more precise and compare the passenger figures directly to strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and details grouped in chronological order. Sequencing expressions such as “Finally” help readers follow the city-by-city account, and the information is generally easy to locate. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical because the report largely lists one city after another, and the final sentence repeats the chronological pattern already evident in the body. Some links between comparisons are also unclear; for instance, “Tokyo opened in 1927 with similar number of passengers” does not make the comparison or its reference point clear. Grouping the older, larger systems and the newer, smaller ones, while using more precise comparative links, would create stronger progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “underground railway systems,” “passengers,” “route,” and “oldest,” and the main information remains understandable. There are also attempts at varied phrasing, such as “began its journey” and “run the scheme,” though these are not natural choices for describing railway systems in a data report. Several word-choice and spelling slips reduce precision: “information between six cities” is awkward, “millions passengers” is incorrectly formed, and “commened” and “miilions” are misspelled. Prefer standard reporting language such as “the system opened” and “annual passenger numbers,” and use accurate forms such as “775 million passengers.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple sentences and some longer structures, and most of the data can be understood. However, some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, sentence structure, and plural forms. For example, “Overall data shows, London has” needs a clearer clause structure, while “with the lowest kilometers of 11” lacks a grammatical construction for the measurement. In “with a number of 775 millions passengers,” the noun phrase is not formed correctly; the figure should be expressed as “775 million passengers.” There are also missing articles in phrases such as “with similar number.” Use complete, carefully punctuated sentences and check article use and noun phrases to improve accuracy.

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