Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-10

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 provides data of underground railway systems in London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.

Overall, London had the oldest railway system with longest route of 394km and 775 millions of passengers per year. However, Tokyo had the great number of passengers per year while Los Angeles build underground railway station in 2001 which is newest station compare to other five cities.

London covered longest route of underground railway line and constructed in 1863 which hold the record of oldest station system. After that, Paris had the second oldest underground railway system and had great number of passengers after Tokyo with 1191 passengers per year and it covered the distance of 199km of route. Tokyo's underground railway system was one of the busier station with 1927 passengers per year and was consructed in 1927 however its route covered the distance of 155km. Washington DC railway line had the route of 126km with passengers of 144 millions per year and was build in 1976. Kyoto and Los Angeles opened most recent underground railway system with 11 and 28 km route, 45 and 50 passengers per year respectively. While, Kyoto had built railway system in 1981 whereas, Los Angeles built it in 2001.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all key features of the data, including the oldest and newest systems and the highest passenger numbers. You have successfully identified the main trends and made relevant comparisons between the cities. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting; for instance, you state London has 775 millions of passengers, but the table indicates 775 million (the plural 'millions' is incorrect here). Additionally, the overview is slightly cluttered with specific data points that would be better suited for the body paragraphs. To improve, ensure that the overview focuses strictly on the most significant trends rather than listing specific figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'After that', and 'whereas' to link your points. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly repetitive. The transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Furthermore, some sentences are slightly disjointed, such as the final sentence which attempts to combine too much information. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'constructed', 'route', and 'respectively'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and minor errors, such as 'great number of passengers' (should be 'greatest number') and 'build underground railway station' (should be 'built an underground railway system'). The phrase 'busier station' is also slightly inaccurate as you are referring to the system as a whole, not a single station. To reach a higher band, focus on more precise collocations and ensure that you use nouns and verbs in their correct forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include missing articles (e.g., 'had longest route' instead of 'had the longest route'), incorrect verb tenses (e.g., 'Los Angeles build' instead of 'built'), and subject-verb agreement errors. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. You should pay closer attention to article usage and ensure that your verb tenses are consistent when describing historical data. Proofreading for basic grammatical slips would be highly beneficial.

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

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