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 table below illustrates the comparison of the underground railway frameworks in the prevalent cities.
Overall, Tokyo shared the highest number in terms of the passengers. Contrarily, Kyoto was the least famous and had a minor prevalence as compared to mentioned cities. However, Los Angeles was in a similar position with Kyoto, and it was built before Kyoto.
According to the provided data, London's system was ancient, and it was opened in 1863. It covered a significant distance in kilometers, which was 394; highest among all cities. The regime of Paris came in 1900, and it engaged 1191 million travelers. Moreover, Washingt on DC covered 126 km distance and 144 million of the audience.
Los Angeles' was the only railway that came into view in 2000s. In addition, it was the leverage of 50 million citizens. On the other hand, Kyoto's system covered the lowest length of 11 km. Furthermore, it was opened in 1981 and was used by 45 million people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all key features of the table, including the oldest and newest systems and the extremes in passenger numbers and route length. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For example, while you mention Tokyo has the highest passenger numbers, you do not explicitly contrast this with its relatively small route length compared to London. The overview is present but could be more analytical by grouping the cities by their characteristics rather than listing them individually. The term 'least famous' is an inappropriate interpretation of the data, as the table measures usage, not popularity.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'In addition', and 'On the other hand'. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly forced. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the connection between the sentences in the second paragraph could be smoother. Referencing is mostly clear, although the phrasing 'Los Angeles' was the only railway' is slightly awkward. Overall, the structure is sufficient to follow the writer's intent, but it lacks the sophisticated flow required for higher bands.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on some inaccurate word choices, such as 'prevalent cities', 'regime of Paris', and 'leverage of 50 million citizens', which do not accurately describe the data. The use of 'least famous' to describe Kyoto is a misuse of vocabulary in this context. While you successfully use terms like 'illustrated', 'significant distance', and 'covered', the range is limited. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations related to statistics and transport infrastructure.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Tokyo shared the highest number' (should be 'had the highest number'), 'Washingt on DC' (spelling error), and 'Los Angeles' was the only railway that came into view' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are minor issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring accuracy would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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