Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-17

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 rendered table depicts the information about the underneath railway system of six different cities.

Overall, the recently opened railway line had minimum count of passengers, while railway line opened in Paris had maximum number of commuters.

In detail, underground railway system opened in London was in 1863, which covered 394 km and used by 775 millions of people. In case of Paris, whose railway line started in 1900 but covered only 199 km with 1191 million commuters. Railway line of Tokyo covered the distance of 155 km, whereas number of people travelled by it was 1927 millions

and initiated in 1927.

After almost 50 years, in Washington BC 144 million people travelled by this railway line which covered the distance of 126 km. After another 5 years, a new line was introduced in Kyoto which runs for 11 km with 45 million passengers. Similarly, in Los Angles the count of travellers and km covered ranged under 60 and introduced in 2001,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all the required data points and provides a clear overview of the main features. You successfully identified the extremes, such as the highest passenger count in Tokyo and the lowest in Kyoto. However, the analysis could be improved by making more direct comparisons between the cities rather than listing the data chronologically. For instance, noting that London has the longest route despite not having the highest passenger volume would provide a more analytical approach. The overview is present but could be more distinct from the body paragraphs to better highlight the main trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is generally coherent, with a logical progression from the oldest to the newest systems. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive, particularly the reliance on 'In case of' and 'After almost/another'. Paragraphing is present but the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is abrupt. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words such as 'In contrast', 'Conversely', or 'Furthermore' to connect ideas more fluidly. The referencing is clear, but the overall structure would benefit from more sophisticated signposting.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information, using terms like 'commuters', 'initiated', and 'depicts'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'underneath railway system' (should be 'underground') and 'ranged under 60' (which is imprecise). There are also minor errors in phrasing, such as 'maximum number of commuters' instead of 'the highest number of commuters'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing when describing numerical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. For example, 'railway line opened in Paris had maximum number' lacks necessary articles, and 'whose railway line started in 1900 but covered only 199 km with 1191 million commuters' is a sentence fragment. Additionally, there are issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'in Washington BC' (should be 'in Washington DC') and 'in Los Angles' (spelling error). Focusing on article usage and sentence completeness will significantly improve your score.

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.