Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-08

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 6.5)

The supplied table graph represents the comparative data of underground railway systems varied from year 1863 to 2001. The data is calibrated in number of people in millions.

Overall, it is quite evident that passengers per year in Tokyo was represented for the highest potion in underground railways, While passengers in Kyoto's railways was calculated for the lowest one.

An inspection of the data in the table clearly depicts that London's railways was the first build in 1863 and it cover longest route of 394 kilometers. Paris opened in 1900 with a 199-kilometre route, while Tokyo was established in 1927 and had a shorter network of 155 kilometers. In terms of passenger numbers, however, Tokyo was the busiest, carrying 1,927 million passengers annually, followed by Paris with 1,191 million. London recorded the lowest figure among these three cities, at 775 million.

Turning to the newer underground systems, Washington DC opened in 1976 and had a 126-kilometre route, carrying 144 million passengers per year. Kyoto's system was the smallest, with only 11 kilometres of track and 45 million passengers annually. Los Angeles, which opened most recently in 2001, had a 28-kilometre route and transported 50 million passengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the key features of the data, including the oldest and newest systems, as well as the extremes in terms of route length and passenger numbers. The overview provides a clear summary of the main trends. You have made relevant comparisons between the cities, such as contrasting the older, larger systems with the newer, smaller ones. The data is accurately reported, and the response covers all parts of the task effectively. To reach a higher band, ensure that your overview highlights the most significant contrast more explicitly, perhaps by noting the inverse relationship between the age of the system and the passenger volume in some cases.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group the cities chronologically and by size. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In terms of', and 'Turning to' are used effectively to guide the reader through the information. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the older, established systems from the newer ones. The progression of ideas is smooth and easy to follow. There is a slight mechanical feel to some of the transitions, but the overall structure is sound and supports the clear presentation of data.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'comparative data', 'established', and 'transported' are used appropriately. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'table graph' (it is a table, not a graph) and 'first build' (should be 'first built'). Additionally, 'highest potion' is a misuse of the word 'portion'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on more precise collocations and avoiding redundant descriptors will improve your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('London's railways was', 'passengers in Kyoto's railways was') and tense inconsistencies ('it cover longest route'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not prevent the meaning from being understood. To improve, pay closer attention to pluralization and verb agreement. Increasing the variety of complex structures, such as using more relative clauses or passive constructions, would also help demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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.