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 table illustrates the data of underground railway transport system in six cities between0 1863 and 2001. units are measured in millions.

Overall, The highest figure of railway used by passengers is in Tokyo, compared with just for Kyoto, which had the lowest figure. Also, the data shows different kilometers, while London stays at peak and Kyoto is the shortest route.

From 1863 to 2001, London has the highest route with 394 kilometers, where passengers were 775M. Though it is not the city with highest pay, Tokyo route consist of just 155 kilometers and passengers were1972M. Passengers count for Tokyo and Los Angles were broadly similar.

On the other hand, Kyoto is the city who has the shortest path of 11 Kilometers with 45M passengers. Therefore, According to passenger count the highest figure was recorded for Tokyo at 1927M, compared with just 45M for Kyoto, which had the lowest figure.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all the requirements of the task by identifying the main features and making relevant comparisons. You have successfully highlighted the extremes, such as Tokyo's high passenger volume and Kyoto's short route. However, the analysis is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the final paragraph where you restate information about Tokyo and Kyoto that was already mentioned in the overview. To improve, ensure that each paragraph provides distinct information or deeper analysis rather than repeating figures. The data is generally accurate, although there is a minor error in the passenger figure for Tokyo (1927M vs 1972M).

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'From 1863 to 2001', and 'On the other hand' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally disjointed. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs feels abrupt. Additionally, the use of referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'the city who has the shortest path', where 'who' is inappropriate for a city. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'recorded', and 'broadly similar'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'highest figure of railway used' instead of 'highest number of passengers' and 'highest pay' which is contextually incorrect. There are also minor spelling errors like 'Los Angles' instead of 'Los Angeles'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology related to data description and ensure that your word choices are contextually appropriate for a formal report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder clarity. Examples include 'between0 1863' (typo), 'Tokyo route consist of' (subject-verb agreement), and 'the city who has' (incorrect relative pronoun). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary capitalization in 'Overall, The' and 'Kilometers'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent punctuation will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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