Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-30

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 given table illustrates the underground railway opened dates, Kilometers of route and Passengers per year in six cities in USA.

Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that first undground railway opened in London with longest route. However the maximum numbers of people used underground railway were from Tokyo.

To commence with, in 2001, new underground railway constructed in Los Angeles and the length was about 28 kilometer , also around 50 million people preferred to travel by railway. Moreover, in Kyoto city, railway opened in 1981 which had lowest route around 11 kilometer and 45 millions individuals liked to go to the workplace and market.

Following this, underground railway constructed in 1863 and 1900 in both cities London and Paris respectively, therefore London had largest route nearly 394 kilometer and Paris built 199 kilometer railway track, then 775 million people from London and 1197 million from Paris travelled frequently. Furthermore, about 1927 million individuals travelled by underground railway, which was opened in 1927 and had 155 kilometer long track in the city of Tokyo. Nextly, Washington Dc accounted for 144 million people, who used underground railway in 1976, which had 126 kilometer long railway line.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all the data points provided in the table, including dates, route lengths, and passenger numbers. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; for instance, it claims the 'first underground railway opened in London with longest route,' which is true, but the second sentence mentions Tokyo having the maximum number of passengers without comparing it to the others effectively. The grouping of data is somewhat arbitrary, moving from the newest to the oldest systems, which makes the comparison less logical. To improve, ensure the overview highlights the most significant trends, such as the inverse relationship between the age of the system and the passenger volume in some cases.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The transition between the description of Los Angeles/Kyoto and the older cities is abrupt. While cohesive devices like 'To commence with,' 'Following this,' and 'Furthermore' are used, they are sometimes applied mechanically or inappropriately. For example, 'Nextly' is not standard English. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the paragraph discussing London and Paris, where the flow of information feels cluttered. Improving the logical flow between sentences and using a wider variety of cohesive devices would enhance the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'individuals liked to go to the workplace and market,' which is an unnecessary assumption not supported by the data. The use of 'underground railway' is repetitive. To achieve a higher score, you should use more varied synonyms for 'opened,' 'constructed,' and 'travelled,' and avoid adding subjective interpretations of why people use the trains, as this is a data summary task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include missing articles ('in London,' 'in Paris'), incorrect verb tenses ('new underground railway constructed' instead of 'was constructed'), and punctuation errors. The phrase 'Nextly' is grammatically incorrect. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice for reporting data would be highly beneficial.

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

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