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 in terms of date opened, kilometers of route, and passengers per year.

Overall, London's system is the oldest among all cities. In contrast, Tokyo's railway system accounted for the highest number of passengers carried annually, whereas Kyoto's system represented the least number of passengers per year. Kyoto's railway system has the shortest route compared to other cities.

London's railway system is the oldest system opened in 1863. It has the longest route, covering 394 kilometers and carries around 775 million passengers annually. Additionally, railway system of Paris inaugurated in 1900. This system covers 199 kilometers of route and carries 1191 million passengers each year. However, Tokyo's railway system was opened in 1927 and carries 1927 million passengers annually, which is a largest number of passengers carried among six cities. This system covers a route of 155 kilometers.

Washington DC, on the other hand, was inaugurated in 1976. This system covers 126 kilometers in total and takes 144 million passengers to their destination every year. In addition, Kyoto's system was initialized in 1981, carries only 45 million passengers annually, which is a smallest number of passengers carried by any city. This system has a smallest route of 11 kilometers. Nevertheless, Los Angeles's railway system was opened in 2001, which carries 50 million passengers per year. This system covers a route of 28 kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the data, including the date opened, route length, and passenger numbers for all six cities. You have successfully identified the oldest system (London), the busiest (Tokyo), and the smallest (Kyoto). The comparisons are relevant and accurate. To reach a higher band, ensure that you group the data more analytically rather than listing each city sequentially. For instance, grouping the older, established systems (London, Paris, Tokyo) against the more modern ones (Washington DC, Kyoto, Los Angeles) would provide a more sophisticated overview of the trends present in the table.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use a variety of cohesive devices such as 'In contrast,' 'Additionally,' and 'Nevertheless' to link your sentences and paragraphs effectively. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. To improve, try to vary the sentence structure further and ensure that the link between the overview and the specific details is more seamless. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the clarity of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'inaugurated,' 'annually,' and 'represented.' However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'initialized' (which is not typically used for railway systems) and 'a largest number' (should be 'the largest number'). The repetition of 'system' and 'carries' throughout the text limits the lexical variety. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and avoid repetitive phrasing by using referencing or different sentence structures to describe the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is generally effective. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'railway system of Paris inaugurated' (missing a verb) and 'a smallest number' (incorrect article usage). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on article usage (the vs. a) and ensure that every sentence has a clear subject and verb. Increasing the use of more complex structures, such as relative clauses or participle phrases, would help demonstrate a wider range of grammatical control.

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