Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-15

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 information about underground railway systems in six different cities.

Overall, underground trains in London covered highest amount of distance, whereas Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto, Los Angeles covered less kilometers. Also, in Tokyo, Paris, and London high number of passengers travelled by underground trains; however, in other cities it remained relatively very low.

To begin with, oldest underground railway system of London travelled great kilometers among all, followed by, Paris, Tokyo, and Washington DC.

Statistically it was 394, 199, 155, and 126 respectively.

In the contrast, only 11 and 28 kilometers of route taken by Kyoto and Los Angeles which were opened in 1981 and 2001.

Additionally, 1927 million and 1191 million travelers in Paris and Tokyo preferred underground railways as a mode of their transportation each year. Nevertheless, Kyoto and Los Angeles witnessed only 45 million and 50 million passengers per year. Additionally, London and Washington DC's railway run with 775 million and 144 million passengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task by reporting on the three categories provided in the table. You have successfully identified the main features, such as London having the longest route and Tokyo having the highest passenger numbers. However, the comparison could be more analytical. For instance, you list the statistics for route length but do not explicitly contrast the older, longer-established systems with the newer, shorter ones in a more integrated way. While you mention the dates, the connection between the age of the system and its size or usage could be more clearly highlighted to demonstrate a higher level of data interpretation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The use of cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'In the contrast', and 'Additionally' helps to guide the reader through the information. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced. For example, 'In the contrast' is grammatically incorrect and disrupts the flow. Furthermore, the referencing is occasionally unclear; in the second paragraph, you list statistics without clearly linking them back to the specific cities in a way that avoids ambiguity. Improving the variety and accuracy of your linking words would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the data, such as 'illustrates', 'statistically', and 'mode of transportation'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, you wrote 'travelled great kilometers', which is not a natural collocation; 'covered the greatest distance' would be more appropriate. Similarly, 'railway run with' is imprecise. While the vocabulary is adequate to convey the meaning, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score. Expanding your range of reporting verbs and descriptive adjectives would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors. For instance, 'London covered highest amount' is missing the definite article 'the'. You also have issues with preposition usage and sentence fragments, such as 'followed by, Paris, Tokyo, and Washington DC.' The punctuation around these lists is also inconsistent. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will help improve your accuracy.

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

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