Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-16

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 graph illustrates the data about six different cities underground railway systems.

Overall, Most oldest underground railway system situated in London city, while the highest Passengers per year capacity showed by the Tokyo. In addition, Kyoto and Los Angeles recorded the lowest Kilometers of route and Passengers per year among the four cities.

In the term of establishment, London Underground Railway Systems was the oldest station among them and it was establishes at 1863, its passengers per year 775 millions and traveling 394 kilometers of route . In addition, Paris started her Underground Railway Systems in 1900, passengers per year 1191 millions which was the second highest passengers capacity and traveling 199 kilometers of route per hour. Furthermore, Tokyo accounted for the the highest Passengers per year capacity, which was 1927. It was constructed in 1927 and traveling 155 kilometers of route.

Kyoto and Los Angeles were started their journey in 1981 and 2001, their passengers capacity around the per year 45 millions and 50 millions and travelling route 11 and 28 Kilometers per hour, Which was the lowest among the all cities. In contrast, Washington DC was constructed in 1976, Passengers per year 144 millions and travel 126 Kilometers of route per hour.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all the key features of the table, including the oldest system (London) and the highest passenger volume (Tokyo). You have successfully identified the main trends and made relevant comparisons between the cities. However, the report contains some inaccuracies in data interpretation; for instance, you mention 'traveling 199 kilometers of route per hour' and 'traveling 155 kilometers of route', which misrepresents the data provided in the table (kilometers of route is a static measure, not a speed). To improve, ensure you accurately transcribe the units provided in the table headers and focus on comparing the data points more precisely rather than listing them individually.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on different groupings of cities. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Furthermore', and 'In contrast' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus that progresses logically from the previous one.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'establishment', 'constructed', and 'capacity'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'Most oldest' (should be 'The oldest'), 'traveling 199 kilometers of route per hour' (incorrect unit), and 'started their journey' (which is slightly informal for a data report). The vocabulary is generally sufficient to convey the meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Expanding your repertoire of reporting verbs and descriptive adjectives would help improve the sophistication of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include incorrect article usage ('the the highest'), subject-verb agreement ('it was establishes'), and awkward sentence construction ('their passengers capacity around the per year 45 millions'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader. To improve, pay closer attention to basic verb tenses and pluralization. Practicing the correct use of articles and prepositions will also help in achieving more error-free sentences.

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.