Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-07-24

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 6.5)

The given data chart illustrate the given information on the underground railway systems in six cities known as London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.

As per the data London railway system opened in the year 1863 and kilometers of route was 394 with the passengers carrying per year was 775 millions. Paris opened railway facilities in 1900 with the 199 kilometer of route carrying 1191 millions passenger a year. In 1927 Tokyo opened railway station of 155 kilometer of route carrying 1927 millions passenger per year.

Furthermore, Washington DC opened railway station with the 126 kilometers of route in 1976 , transporting 144 millions passenger per year. Kyoto with the 45 million passengers per year opened railway station in 1981 with the 11 kilometer of route. Los Angeles opened railway station late in 2001 only carrying 50 million passengers per year travelling to 28 kilometers of route.

To conclude, London opened first railway station among the six cities and Tokyo had highest number of passenger traveled per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all the required data points and identifies key features, such as the oldest system (London) and the highest passenger volume (Tokyo). However, the report is essentially a list of facts for each city rather than a cohesive summary. To reach a higher band, you should group the data more effectively—for example, by comparing the older, larger systems with the newer, smaller ones. While you have reported the main features, the lack of analytical grouping makes the response feel like a data dump rather than a summary.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the progression of ideas is mechanical. You rely heavily on listing facts city-by-city rather than using cohesive devices to link comparisons. For instance, the transition 'Furthermore' is used, but the overall flow feels repetitive because each sentence follows the same rigid structure (City + opened + date + route + passengers). Using more varied linking phrases and referencing (e.g., 'In contrast to London, Kyoto...') would improve the logical flow significantly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You frequently repeat phrases like 'opened railway station' and 'kilometers of route'. There is little attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary or synonyms to describe the data (e.g., 'commuter volume', 'extensive network', 'inaugurated'). While the meaning is always clear, the lexical range is limited, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on synonyms and more academic collocations will help you demonstrate a wider range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, '199 kilometer of route' should be '199 kilometers of route', and 'carrying 1191 millions passenger' should be '1191 million passengers'. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to suggest a lack of control over more complex structures. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and pluralization will improve your accuracy.

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