Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-13

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 illustrates the subway systems of six different cities.Overall, the underground railway system of London is the fastest,while Tokyo accomodates maximum number of passengers per year .

Subterranean railway of London opened in 1863, travels 394 km accomodating 775 million passengers per year , making it by far the most fastest subway among all six underground railways.Whereas, Tokyo holds 1927 million travellers anually, carrying maximum number of passengers among all the mentioned subways,travelling at a speed of 155km.In between 1863 and 1927, an underground network in paris was opened, commuting 1191 million passengers , this figure was more than London and less than Tokyo subway systems at a speed of 199km.

With regard to washington DC subway, the numbers for passengers stood at 144 millions per year ,travelling at a moderate speed of 126km.The remaining two underground subways, Kyoto and Los Angeles were the least popular among passengers, holding upto 45 million and 50 million passengers, respectively.Los Angeles subway travelling at a speed of 28km, while Kyoto at 11km , the slowest carrying least passengers among all six subways.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main contrasts: London has the oldest and longest network, while Tokyo carries the most passengers, and you include figures for all six cities. This gives the response a relevant overview and broad coverage. However, some key comparisons are unclear or inaccurate: describing London as “the fastest” and the systems as travelling at a “speed” confuses route length, measured in kilometres, with speed. The overview also omits that Kyoto has the shortest route and that Los Angeles is the newest system. Several details are reported without a clear comparison, and “moderate” for Washington’s route length is not well supported. To strengthen the summary, state the main extremes accurately and compare route lengths and passenger totals directly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by paragraphs covering the larger and smaller systems. Linking expressions such as “Whereas,” “In between,” and “With regard to” help signal relationships between the data. The progression is generally understandable, but some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “Whereas, Tokyo…” is not smoothly attached to the preceding sentence, and the paragraph moves from London to Tokyo and then Paris without a consistent comparison pattern. The final sentence also compresses two city comparisons into one. Grouping systems by route length or passenger numbers, and using clearer transitions such as “By contrast” and “Meanwhile,” would make the organisation more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of topic-related vocabulary, including “subway systems,” “underground network,” “commuting,” and “passengers,” and the intended meaning is usually clear. There are also attempts at less common wording, such as “Subterranean railway,” though this sounds unnatural in this context. Several choices are inaccurate for describing the table: “fastest,” “travelling at a speed,” and “slowest” refer to speed, whereas the figures show route length. “Accommodates maximum number” and “holding upto” are also awkward collocations, and “anually” is misspelled. Aim for precise data language such as “longest route,” “carried the highest annual passenger total,” and “had the fewest passengers.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including longer comparisons and participle clauses, and the main information can generally be followed. However, some complex constructions are not fully controlled. For instance, “Whereas, Tokyo holds…” is a fragment-like transition, while “In between 1863 and 1927, an underground network in paris was opened” uses an awkward time construction and inconsistent capitalisation. There are also errors in articles and number agreement, as in “accommodates maximum number” and “144 millions,” as well as punctuation problems where sentences run together after full stops or commas. Use complete sentences, check singular and plural forms, and punctuate each comparison clearly to improve accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.