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 table illustrates information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

Overall, it is seen London being the oldest railway station to open with the highest kilometers of route but comes in third place for passengers travelling per year. While Los Angeles is the newest station which opened with approx. less kilometers route and with comparatively less passengers.

Looking first at London which opened in 1863 being the oldest one to open with the highest number of kilometers of route- 394 and with 775 million passengers per year. Paris opened in 1900 with 199 km of route with 1191 million people travelling, third is Tokyo opened in 1927 with 155km route which has the highest number of passengers per year- 1927 million.

Turning to Washington DC which opened in 1976, 126 km route with 144 million passengers travelling, Kyoto opened in 1981 with the lowest km route of 11 and also with the lowest passengers per year of 45 million. Lastly, Los Angeles which is the newest railway system opened in 2001 with 28 km route and 50 million passengers travelling per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all key features of the table, including the oldest/newest systems and the extremes in route length and passenger numbers. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; for instance, London is not the 'oldest railway station', but the city with the oldest system. Additionally, the comparison of Los Angeles is somewhat vague ('approx. less kilometers'). While the main features are identified, the analysis could be more precise by grouping the cities more effectively rather than listing them chronologically in the body paragraphs. The data is generally reported accurately, but the synthesis of information could be more sophisticated to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Looking first at', 'Turning to', and 'Lastly' are used to guide the reader through the data. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'it is seen London being the oldest'. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, though the structure of the sentences within the paragraphs is somewhat repetitive, relying heavily on simple lists of data points.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing for the clear communication of data. There is some attempt to use varied terminology, such as 'illustrates', 'newest railway system', and 'comparatively'. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as referring to the cities as 'stations' rather than 'systems'. To improve, the student should incorporate more precise collocations and avoid repeating the same sentence structures when describing the statistics for each city.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, particularly with sentence construction and article usage (e.g., 'it is seen London being the oldest', 'with approx. less kilometers route'). Some sentences are fragmented or lack necessary verbs, which affects the overall fluency. While the errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. More attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions would enhance the accuracy of the writing.

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

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