Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-28

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 presents information about the underground railway systems in London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.

Overall, it can be seen that London has the oldest and longest underground railway system, while Los Angeles has the newest. In terms of passengers per year, Tokyo had the highest, whereas Kyoto has the lowest.

London has the oldest and longest railway station dating from 1863 and 394 in kilometers. The three newer systems opened between 1976 and 2001 were Washington DC which opened in 1976 and has a route of 155 kilometers, whereas Kyoto and Los Angeles opened in 1981 and 2000, respectively.

In terms of passenger per year, Tokyo has the highest figure at 1,927 million , while Paris at 1,191 million. Meanwhile, Washington DC accounts for 144 million and London at 775 million. In contrast, Los Angeles records 50 million, whereas Kyoto has the lowest number at 50 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all key features of the data, including the oldest/longest systems and the passenger numbers. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies that undermine the task achievement. For instance, you state Washington DC has a route of 155 kilometers, but the table shows 126. Furthermore, you claim Kyoto has the lowest number of passengers at 50 million, yet the table shows Los Angeles also records 50 million, and your text contradicts itself by stating Los Angeles records 50 million while Kyoto has the lowest. These errors in data reporting prevent a higher score, as the primary purpose of an Academic Task 1 is the accurate representation of provided information.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear, and you use some cohesive devices such as 'In terms of', 'meanwhile', and 'in contrast' to link information. However, the referencing is occasionally confusing, particularly in the final paragraph where the comparison between Kyoto and Los Angeles is muddled. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the flow between sentences could be improved by avoiding repetitive sentence structures and ensuring that the transition between data points is smoother and more precise.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to describe the data points and make basic comparisons. You use terms like 'oldest', 'longest', 'highest', and 'lowest' effectively. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as referring to the railway system as a 'railway station' in the third paragraph. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more varied vocabulary to describe trends and comparisons, such as 'surpassed', 'accounted for', or 'a significant disparity', rather than relying heavily on basic adjectives and simple verbs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips. For example, 'London has the oldest and longest railway station dating from 1863 and 394 in kilometers' is awkward and grammatically imprecise. Additionally, there are issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'Paris at 1,191 million' which lacks a verb. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are inconsistent spaces before commas. To improve, focus on ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and verb, and work on integrating data more fluidly into your complex sentences.

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

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