Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-08
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 compares six underground railway systems in terms of their opening dates, route lengths and the number of passengers they carry annually.
Overall, London has the oldest railway system as well as the largest route, while Los Angeles has newest one. Tokyo has highest number of passengers per year, whereas Kyoto has shortage route and fewest passengers.
London underground opened in 1863 and has the longest route at 394Km,
it serves 775 millions people annually. Paris, which opened in 1900, has a 199-kilomitres route and carries 1191 million passengers. Tokyo's system was stablished in 1976 and has 155 Km of track, but it has the highest passengers figure, 1927 million.
The remaining systems are newer and smaller. Washington DC opened in 1976 and has 126 km of route carrying 144 millions of people. Kyoto and Los Angeles have much shorter routes of 11 and 28 kilometres, with 45 and 50 million passengers respectively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all key features of the table, including opening dates, route lengths, and passenger numbers. You have successfully identified the oldest/largest systems and the newest/smallest ones. However, there is a factual error in the third paragraph: you stated Tokyo opened in 1976, but the table indicates 1927. Additionally, while you make some comparisons, the analysis could be more insightful by grouping the cities more effectively to highlight the contrast between older, established systems and newer, smaller ones. Overall, the main features are clearly reported, but accuracy regarding the data provided is essential for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from general trends to specific data points. Cohesive devices such as 'while', 'whereas', and 'respectively' are used effectively to link information. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different groups of cities. However, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother, and some sentences, such as the one starting with 'London underground opened...', could be better connected to the preceding context to improve the flow of information.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Terms like 'annually', 'respectively', and 'established' are used correctly. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'stablished' (established), 'kilomitres' (kilometres), and 'shortage route' (shortest route). These errors do not impede communication, but they do prevent the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring accurate spelling of technical terms related to the data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Los Angeles has newest one' (missing 'the'), 'highest passengers figure' (should be 'highest passenger figure'), and '144 millions of people' (should be '144 million people'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not cause difficulty for the reader. You have attempted some complex structures, but the accuracy of these needs to be improved to achieve a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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