Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-25

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 tables gives information about the underground railway systems for different cities around the world including the inauguration year, kilometers of route and quantity of passengers per year in millions.

While, the Tokyo underground railway system attracted the most passengers, Kyoto attracted the least. The Tokyo underground railway system opened in 1927 and has a route of 155 kilometers. 1927 millions of passengers use this system every year. On the other hand, Kyoto underground railway system has 11 kilometers of route, the least amongst the six cities mentioned in the table, which opened in 1981 and attracts 45 millions of passengers per year.

The London underground railway system was the first of its kind, being opened in 1863 and comprises of 394 kilometers of route and 775 millions of passengers use this system every year. Whereas, Paris underground railway system which was installed later in 1900 has a route of 199 kilometers, less than that of London but attracts more passengers. 1191 millions of passengers use this system every year.

Washington DC introduced it's underground railway system in 1976 followed by Los Angeles in 2001. Washington has 126 kilometers of railway route and 144 millions of passenger use it every year. Alternatively, Los Angeles underground railway system attracts 50 millions of passengers per year as it has a shorter route compared to Washington, only 28 kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all the requirements of the task. You have successfully identified the main features and made relevant comparisons between the cities. The data is accurately reported, and you have included all three categories (date, route length, and passengers). To reach a higher band, ensure you provide a more cohesive overview at the beginning or end of the report that synthesizes the data rather than just listing facts. For example, noting the general trend that older systems do not necessarily have the highest passenger numbers would strengthen your analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized into paragraphs, with each focusing on specific cities or groups. The progression of ideas is clear. You use some cohesive devices like 'On the other hand', 'Whereas', and 'Alternatively', although some of these transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, though the use of 'While' at the start of the second paragraph is grammatically awkward as it does not introduce a subordinate clause effectively. Improving the variety and natural flow of your linking words would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'inauguration', 'comprises', and 'installed'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, '775 millions of passengers' is incorrect; it should be '775 million passengers'. Additionally, 'quantity of passengers' is less natural than 'number of passengers'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on more precise quantifiers and avoiding unnecessary prepositions will improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'The tables gives' (subject-verb agreement), 'it's' instead of 'its' (possessive pronoun error), and the repetitive use of 'millions of passengers' where the 's' is unnecessary. While these errors are noticeable, they do not cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct usage of plural forms when dealing with large numbers.

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

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