Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-02
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 6.5)
The table illustrates the underground railway systems in six cities and gives information about when it was opened, its routes length and how many passengers it took per year.
Overall, it can be seen that London had the first underground railway system with the highest route whereas Kyoto had comparatively newest system with smallest route. Moreover, Tokyo carried the largest number of passengers per year while Kyoto showed the opposite scenario.
Underway railway systems opened in Tokyo in 1927 which had 155 kilometer route length and could serve 1937 passengers per year. This was followed by Paris where railway system opened in 1900 with 119 kilometers of route and 1191 passengers per year. Washington DC had relatively smaller route length and less passengers capacity. In 1976, Washington DC started its first under railway system with with only 114 passenger per year and 126 route length.
By contrast, Kyoto and Los Angeles had the newest system opened in 1981 and 2001 respectively. Tokyo accounted for the smallest route at 11 kilometers and only 45 passenger per year while Los Angeles had 28 kilometer route and could carry 50 passenger per year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features and making relevant comparisons. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies in the data reporting. For example, you stated Tokyo opened in 1927 with 1937 passengers, but the table shows 1927 passengers. You also incorrectly stated that Tokyo had the smallest route (11km), when the table clearly attributes this to Kyoto. These errors in data interpretation prevent the response from reaching a higher band, as the summary of information is not accurate.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Moreover', and 'By contrast'. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by the factual errors mentioned above. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between the body paragraphs could be improved by grouping the data more logically (e.g., grouping by age or size) rather than listing cities in a way that leads to confusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the supporting details.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'accounted for', and 'scenario'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'underway railway systems' (instead of 'underground') and 'less passengers capacity' (instead of 'lower passenger capacity'). The repetition of 'system' and 'route' is noticeable. To improve, try to use more precise synonyms and ensure that technical terms are used correctly in context to convey information accurately.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'when it was opened' (referring to plural systems), 'with with only', and 'less passengers'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall clarity of the report. The use of articles and prepositions is inconsistent. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and proofreading for minor slips would help improve the accuracy of your writing.
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