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 presents the provided underground information of railway systems in six cities.

Overall, it is clear that London has oldest and longest underground systems, while Los Angeles has the newest and shortest one. Tokyo carries the highest number of passengers annually.

In terms of opening dates, London's underground railway was established in 1863, This was followed by Paris in 1900 and Tokyo in 1927. Washington DC opened its system in 1976. Kyoto in 1981 and Los Angeles in 2001.

Regarding route length, London again leads with 394 km, which is almost double that of Paris at 199 Km. Tokyo has 155 Km, Washington DC 126 Km, Kyoto 11 km which is the shortest and lastly, Los Angeles has 28 Km.

For passenger numbers, Tokyo has the most with 1927 million per year. Paris is second with 1191 million, followed by London with 775 million. Washington DC, Los Angeles and Kyoto have much lower figures of 144, 50, 45 million respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all requirements of the task. You have identified the key features, such as the oldest and longest systems, and made relevant comparisons between the cities. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the data. You have accurately reported the figures for all categories. To reach a higher band, ensure that comparisons are more integrated rather than just listing data city by city. For example, instead of listing the route lengths sequentially, you could group cities by size or age to provide a more analytical perspective on the data provided in the table.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that group information by category (dates, length, passengers). The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'In terms of', 'Regarding', and 'For passenger numbers', which help guide the reader. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the transition between sentences is smoother, avoiding repetitive sentence structures at the start of each paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'established', 'annually', and 'respectively' correctly. The language is generally precise enough to convey the information clearly. However, the vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and collocations. For instance, instead of 'carries the highest number of passengers', you could use 'boasts the highest annual passenger volume'. Additionally, ensure consistent capitalization, such as 'km' instead of 'Km' for consistency.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While most sentences are clear, there are some punctuation errors, such as the comma splice in 'London's underground railway was established in 1863, This was followed by...'. Additionally, there is a minor error in 'London has oldest', which should be 'London has the oldest'. Despite these slips, the grammar does not impede communication. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of complex structures, such as relative clauses or participle phrases, and pay closer attention to article usage and punctuation accuracy.

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