Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-13

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 below illustrate the information about the underground railway systems in 6 cities.

Overall, the table includes the data of when the station was opened, kilometres of the route and total million users per year.

The oldest underground railway system was introduced by London opening at 1863 with the highest coverage of 394 kilometres of route , used by 775 million passengers in total. Followed by Paris opening after 37 years with a coverage of 199 kilometres of route used by 1191 million passengers. The most amount of passengers out of the 6 cites was Tokyo with a staggering 1927 million passengers using the underground railway with a total of 155 kilometres of route.

Los Angeles has newest underground railway system on 2001 out of the 6 cities which covered a total 28 kilometre of route used by 50 million passengers throughout the year. Followed by Kyoto at 1981 with the lowest number of kilometres of route and passengers and Washington DC at 1976 with average route and passengers throughout.

In conclusion, The oldest underground railway system opened was London with the most kilometres of route, the most recent was Los Angeles opened. The highest amount of passenger throughout the year was Tokyo and lowest was Kyoto with lowest coverage too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully identifies the main features of the table, such as the oldest and newest systems and the extremes in passenger numbers and route length. You have made relevant comparisons, for instance, noting the 37-year gap between London and Paris. However, the report could be improved by grouping the data more logically rather than listing cities chronologically or by size. While you mention the 'most amount of passengers' and 'lowest number of kilometres', the analysis is somewhat descriptive. To reach a higher band, ensure you synthesise the data more effectively by highlighting trends or relationships between the age of the system and its usage, rather than just listing facts for each city.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'Followed by', and 'In conclusion' to link ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. For example, the phrase 'Followed by' is used multiple times in a similar structure. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the final paragraph repeats information already stated in the body, which does not add value to the summary. Improving the variety of linking words and avoiding redundant conclusions would enhance the flow of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly, using terms like 'coverage', 'staggering', and 'underground railway system'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'The most amount of passengers' (should be 'The highest number of passengers') and 'The oldest underground railway system was introduced by London' (London is a city, not a person/entity that introduces systems). While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, it lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Focusing on more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing will help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For instance, 'The table below illustrate' (subject-verb agreement error), 'opening at 1863' (preposition error; should be 'in 1863'), and 'Los Angeles has newest' (missing article 'the'). Additionally, there are punctuation issues, such as the space before the comma in 'route , used'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the data, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.