Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-26

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 the information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

Overall, Tokyo underground railway system carries the highest number of passengers per year, while Kyoto reported for carrying the least number of passengers per year along with the least number of kilometers traveled. In contrast, London railway system route accounted for the largest number of kilometers.

London railway system opened in 1863 travels the highest kilometers of route at 394. This city accounted for carrying 775 passengers per year. Additionally, Paris railway system was inaugurated in 1900, travels 199 kilometers of route. This city represented for carrying 1191 passengers every year. In addition, Tokyo railway system opened in 1927 covers 155 kilometers, which reported to carry 1927 passengers each year. This is the highest number of passengers traveled among six cities.

Washington DC, on the other hand, opened in 1976 carries 144 passengers every year. This railway system covers 126 kilometers of route. Furthermore, Kyoto railway system was inaugurated in 1981 accounted for carrying 45 passengers per year. This covers 11 kilometers in total. Nevertheless, Los Angeles railway system opened in 2001, represented 50 passengers traveled each year. This covers 28 kilometers of route.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all the requirements of the task. You have identified the main features and made relevant comparisons between the cities. The overview is clear, highlighting the extremes in passenger numbers and route length. However, the data presentation is slightly mechanical, as you list the statistics for each city sequentially rather than grouping them more effectively to highlight trends or relationships. For example, grouping the older systems (London, Paris, Tokyo) versus the newer ones (Washington, Kyoto, LA) would have provided a more analytical approach. Despite this, all data points are accurate and the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Additionally', and 'Furthermore' to connect ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit repetitive, relying on a similar structure for each city description. The paragraphing is appropriate, separating the older systems from the newer ones, which helps the reader follow the comparison. To improve, try to vary the way you introduce data to avoid the 'This city...' pattern, which makes the text feel slightly mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. You use terms like 'inaugurated', 'accounted for', and 'covers' appropriately. However, there are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'reported for carrying' and 'represented for carrying', which are slightly unnatural. You also missed an opportunity to use more precise reporting verbs or nouns to describe the data trends. The vocabulary is adequate for the task, but lacks the sophistication or variety required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are recurring grammatical errors, particularly with verb patterns (e.g., 'reported to carry' instead of 'reported to have carried' or 'reported carrying'). There are also minor issues with preposition usage and article placement. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. You have a good grasp of basic sentence construction, but more variety in complex structures and greater attention to verb tense consistency would improve your accuracy.

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

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