Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 given table represents the data on underground railway systems in six different cities, including the date of opened, the length of the routes, and the number of commutes per year.

overall, a glance at the table reveals that, london had the oldest and the longest underground system. there was a general trend that older systems were tend to be longer, while newer systems were shorter and served fewer people.

in terms of age and size, london underground, opened in 1863, was by far oldest and also the longest route at 394 km. paris and tokyo, which opened in 1900 and 1927 respectively, which had mid-sized networks of 199 km and 155 km. the three most recent railway systems were much smaller. washington dc, kyoto, and los angeles opened in 1976, 1981, and 2001, and had routes of only 126 km , 11 km, and 28 km.

regarding passenger numbers, tokyo was the highest with 1927 million passengers per year, despite having a smaller network than london. paris was second with 1191 million commutes per year. in contrast, the fewer networks carried far fewer passengers: wqashington dc had 144 million, los angeles 50 million, and kyoto jus 45 million. london despite it size , had 775 million commutes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the table, including the date opened, route length, and passenger numbers for all six cities. You have successfully identified the main trends, such as the relationship between the age of the system and its size. The comparisons are relevant and well-supported by the data provided. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are accurately transcribed; for instance, you noted Tokyo had 1927 million passengers, which is correct, but ensure your overview is slightly more analytical rather than just descriptive. Overall, the task is well-addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on size and passenger numbers respectively. Cohesive devices such as 'in terms of', 'in contrast', and 'respectively' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, there are some minor issues with punctuation and sentence structure that slightly disrupt the flow, such as the run-on sentence in the second paragraph. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the progression of ideas is clear throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'mid-sized networks' and 'commutes'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and form, such as 'date of opened' instead of 'date of opening' and 'fewer networks' when you likely meant 'smaller networks'. Spelling errors like 'wqashington' and 'jus' also detract from the overall quality. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure careful proofreading to avoid simple slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'older systems were tend to be longer' (should be 'tended to be') and 'london despite it size' (missing possessive 'its'). Additionally, there are issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of error-free complex structures will help improve this score.

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

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