Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-04

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 diagram illustrates the data of six distinct cities based on their opening years, route length and the proportion of commuters in a year.

Overall, London has the longest route among others and considered the oldest underground railway systems, while Los Angeles was the newest and Kyoto, Japan recorded the least in both route lengths and the number of passengers annually. By contrast, Tokyo was the most preference with the highest travelers.

It is clear that London, the initial system was been built in 1863. It routes was the longest, accounted for 294 km, two times higher than Paris. Welcoming around 775 million per year. In Paris, the station first opened in 1900, around 40 years after the oldest city in the survey, which made up 199 km and especially got a good number of commuters in a year. While in Tokyo, completed construction in 1927, showed 155 km in route and demonstrated the best choice in commuting of the residents and tourist in a year, with over 1900 million in 1 year. Washington DC was founded in 1976, showed around 130 km of route and its passengers in a year was much more lower than Tokyo, with only 144 travelers. In terms of Kyoto, Japan opened in 1981, contrasting to the most vibrant city of this country, Tokyo, this city gained the least route, at 11 km respectively, also receiving a small proportion of visitors in a year, with 45 million commuters. Los Angeles, the newest underground railway system, opened in 2001, receiving 28 km of route and 50 million passengers in a year

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all key features of the data, including opening dates, route lengths, and passenger numbers. You successfully identify the oldest and newest systems, as well as the extremes in terms of usage and size. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting; for instance, you state London's route is 294 km, whereas the table shows 394 km. Additionally, the description of Tokyo's passenger numbers as 'over 1900 million' is slightly imprecise given the table lists 1927 million. To reach a higher band, ensure that data points are transcribed with absolute precision and that comparisons are more consistently integrated throughout the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group the cities effectively. You use some cohesive devices such as 'By contrast', 'In terms of', and 'While', which help the flow of information. However, the progression within paragraphs is occasionally mechanical, and some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the transition between the description of Tokyo and Washington DC. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed analysis, which helps the reader follow the structure of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'commuters', 'vibrant', and 'proportion'. There are some instances of awkward word choice, such as 'the most preference' instead of 'the most popular' or 'preferred', and 'much more lower', which is grammatically redundant. While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, some inaccuracies in collocation persist. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure that your word choices are contextually appropriate for a formal report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'the initial system was been built', 'It routes was the longest', and 'much more lower'. There are also issues with punctuation and article usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. You should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice constructions to improve your accuracy.

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

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