Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-31
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 information shows the details of underground railway systems in six metropolitan cities.
The underground railway system in London was launched in 1863,it has a total route of 394 kilometers and 775 million passengers use this service per annum. By reading the given information I concluded that the underground railway system of London is the oldest one and I also came to know that it has the longest route.
The underground railway system of Paris was launched in 1900, it has a total route of 199 kilometers and the total number of passengers which gets benefit from this service is 1191 million yearly.
The underground railway system of Tokyo started in 1927 and It's total route is 155 kilometers. 1927 million passengers use this service annually. This is the largest number of passengers using this service as compared to all other cities mentioned in the take.
While, The underground railway system of Kyoto got inaugurated in the year 1981. It has total route of 11 kilometers and it is the shortest route of all the underground railway systems mentioned in the take and 45 million passengers travel by this service per year, which is the least of all the other underground railway systems mentioned.
In 1976, underground railway system of Washington DC started it's operations with a route consisting of 126 kilometers getting used by 144 million travellers per annum.
In 2001, Los Angeles inaugurated it's underground railway system. It is the most recent railway system of all the mentioned above having a total route 28 kilometers and used by 50 million passengers every year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all the data points provided in the table. However, it lacks an effective overview. Instead of summarizing the main trends or significant comparisons (such as the inverse relationship between age and passenger numbers), the writer lists the data city by city. This approach is mechanical and fails to highlight the 'main features' as required by the task instructions. While the data is accurate, the lack of synthesis and the inclusion of personal commentary ('By reading the given information I concluded...') are inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 report, which should remain objective and analytical.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is organized into paragraphs, but the progression is repetitive. Each paragraph follows an identical structure, which makes the writing feel mechanical rather than cohesive. There is a lack of variety in linking words; the text relies heavily on simple sentence structures and lacks sophisticated cohesive devices to connect the ideas between the cities. While the information is logically sequenced, the overall flow is hindered by the repetitive nature of the reporting style and the lack of clear transitions between the different data categories.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks range and precision. The writer uses basic terms like 'launched', 'started', and 'inaugurated' repeatedly. There is little attempt to use more sophisticated or varied vocabulary to describe the data (e.g., 'commenced', 'witnessed', 'accommodated'). Some phrasing is slightly unnatural, such as 'the total number of passengers which gets benefit from this service'. While the meaning is always clear, the lexical range is limited to the requirements of the task and does not demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in punctuation and grammar. For example, there are comma splices ('...launched in 1863,it has...'), missing articles ('...total route of 394 kilometers'), and inconsistent use of possessive apostrophes ('it's' used incorrectly for 'its'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. The control over complex structures is inconsistent, and the punctuation errors are a recurring issue throughout the text.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.