Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 displays the information about the underground railway system in six cities.

Overall, London had the longest route of train and opened in 1863. While, Tokyo had the highest passenger per year which started in 1927. In contrast, Kyoto had the least passenger per year and shortest route in 1981.

In 1863, London railway system had the largest route of 394 kilometres as compared to other five modern railway system. Paris opened a new railway system in 1900, with 199 kilometres of route. However, their passenger capacity per year had higher as compared to London, from 775 passenger per year (in million) to 1191 passenger per annual (in million). Tokyo had longer route or passenger capacity per year as compared to Washington Dc, with 155 kilometres to 126 kilometres, and 1927 passenger per year(in million) to 144 passenger per year(in million) . Furthermore, kyoto build a railway in 1981, the lowest route of 11 kilometres and smaller passenger per year at 45 million. In 2001, Los Angeles constructed at 28 kilometres route or 50 passenger per year(in million).

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main extremes in the table: London has the longest route and is the oldest system, while Tokyo carries the most passengers and Kyoto has the shortest route and lowest passenger figure. You also include figures for all six cities and make some relevant comparisons, such as Paris carrying more passengers than London despite having a shorter route. This covers the task well, and the overview shows some effective selection of key features. However, some comparisons are unclear or incomplete: for example, the Tokyo–Washington comparison combines route length and passenger totals in a confusing way, and Los Angeles is reported without being compared with Kyoto. More precise grouping and clearer comparisons would make the summary more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph of supporting figures. The information generally moves from the older, larger systems to the newer, smaller ones, and linking expressions such as “In contrast” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or unclear. “While” begins a sentence fragment in the overview, and “In contrast” does not clearly explain the relationship between the facts that follow. The long final paragraph also places several comparisons together, making the Tokyo and Washington figures difficult to follow. Organising the details into clearer groups—for example, older systems and newer systems—and using more precise links would improve progression and referencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main information, including “route,” “passenger,” “kilometres,” and “constructed.” There are also attempts to vary expression, such as “largest” and “shortest.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “longest route of train,” “passenger capacity per year,” and “constructed at 28 kilometres route.” Repeated use of “passenger per year” also makes the description less precise; the figures represent annual passenger numbers in millions. Some forms and capitalisation are inconsistent, as in “kyoto” and “Washington Dc.” Aim for standard table-description phrases such as “route length” and “annual passenger numbers,” and use them consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and most of the information remains understandable. The opening and several statements use straightforward structures successfully. Some grammatical errors nevertheless affect clarity: “While, Tokyo had…” is an incorrectly punctuated dependent clause, and “their passenger capacity … had higher” has an unclear subject and faulty comparison structure. There are also errors in articles, agreement, and sentence construction, as in “a railway in 1981, the lowest route…” and “Los Angeles constructed at 28 kilometres route.” Work on forming complete clauses, matching subjects and verbs, and building comparisons with “higher than” or “compared with.” More accurate control of these patterns would make your varied sentences easier to read.

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