Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-19

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 6.5)

The table compares the opening date, distance and the number of passengers travelled through the underground railway system in six different cities.

Overall, London underground railway system is the oldest railway network and travelled the longest route, whereas Los Angeles is the most recently established system. Tokyo carried the largest number of passengers per year, while the smallest number of passengers travelled through Kyoto railway network which also has the shortest route.

To commence with, London railway system was opened in 1863, travelled for 394 Km long route and carried 775 million passengers per year. Whereas, Los Angeles is the newest underground railways started in 2001, carried only 50 million passengers in a year and covered 28 km route. Moreover, Tokyo system was establish in 1927 and the maximum number of travellers that is 1927 million travelled each year, has a route length of 155 km.

Moving further, Kyoto underground railway system was built in 1981 which carried the smallest number of travellers (45 million) per year and has a network of 11 km long which is the shortest route. Furthermore, Paris railways was started in 1900. It has 199 km long network and served for 1191 million passengers each year. Washington DC was established in 1976, served for 144 million traveller in a year and covered 126 km long distance.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all requirements of the task. You have successfully identified the main features and made relevant comparisons between the cities. The overview is clear, highlighting the oldest/longest route (London) and the newest/shortest (Los Angeles/Kyoto). However, there is a factual error in your summary: you stated London travelled the longest route, but the table shows London has 394 km, which is correct, but your phrasing 'travelled the longest route' is slightly imprecise as it refers to the network size. Additionally, you correctly identified Tokyo as having the highest passenger numbers. The data is accurately reported, and the comparison is well-structured.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'moreover', and 'moving further' to transition between ideas. However, some of the linking is slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be improved by grouping the cities more effectively (e.g., grouping by age or size) rather than listing them individually. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between the second and third body paragraphs feels a bit disjointed due to the list-like approach to each city.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'established', 'network', and 'route'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'travelled through the underground railway system' (the system does not travel; passengers do) and 'Tokyo system was establish' (should be 'established'). You also use 'travellers' and 'passengers' interchangeably, which is fine, but the phrasing 'served for 144 million traveller' is grammatically awkward. To reach a higher band, focus on more precise collocations related to data reporting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Tokyo system was establish' (passive voice error), '1927 million travelled each year, has a route length' (missing subject), and 'Paris railways was started' (subject-verb agreement). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. You should pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice when describing data.

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

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