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 displays data about the subway systems in six different cities: London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto, and Los Angeles. Which are categorised by the opening date, the length of routes, and the average number of passengers per year.

Overall, Londons' underground railways is the oldest system, while Tokyos' has the highest number of visitors per year. London also has the longest route, whereas Kyoto has the shortest.

Londons' system opened in 1863 and has a route length of 394 kilometres, making it both the longest and the oldest. However, it only carries 775 million passengers per year, considerably lower than Paris and Tokyo. Paris opened in 190à and has a 199 kilometres route, serving 1191 million passengers annually. Tokyo, the newest of the three, opened in 1927, and has the shorter route with only 155 kilometres, despite having the biggest amount of visitors per year in the table, 1927 million.

Furthermore, Washington's system was established in 1976 , with a noticeably shorter route of 126 kilometres and an average of 144 millionn passenger.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all key features of the data, including the oldest/newest systems, the longest/shortest routes, and the highest/lowest passenger numbers. The overview is clear and highlights the main trends effectively. However, the response is incomplete as it fails to mention the data for Kyoto and Los Angeles in the body paragraphs, despite them being present in the table. While the main features are selected, the omission of half the cities prevents a fully comprehensive report. The data is generally accurate, though there is a minor typo in the date for Paris (190à).

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different groups of cities. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Furthermore', and 'whereas' are used to link ideas effectively. However, the second sentence of the introduction is a sentence fragment ('Which are categorised by...'), which slightly disrupts the flow. Referencing is generally clear, though the transition between the third and fourth paragraphs could be smoother to better integrate the remaining data points.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'categorised', 'established', and 'annually'. There are some spelling errors, such as 'Londons'' (incorrect apostrophe usage) and 'millionn'. The phrase 'biggest amount of visitors' is slightly unnatural; 'highest number of passengers' would be more precise in this context. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including the aforementioned sentence fragment in the introduction and persistent issues with possessive apostrophes (e.g., 'Londons'', 'Tokyos''). The error '190à' is likely a typo but affects accuracy. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. The use of comparative structures like 'considerably lower than' and 'the newest of the three' is handled well.

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

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