Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18

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 illustrates information regarding the underground railway systems in six distinct cities.

overall, the underground railway system in Tokyo experiences the highest number of passengers per year. This is followed by Paris which receives the second highest number of passengers every year. Kyoto experiences the lowest number of passengers despite having the shortest route.

Firstly, Tokyo underground railway system whivh opened in 1927, has a route of 155 kilometers, welcomes the highest number of passengers about 1927 million per year. This is followed by the system in Paris which opened in 1900 and has a longer route, as compared to tokyo, of about 199 kilometers, it receives about 1191 million passengers each year.

In contrast, The railway systems in London which opened earlier in 1863, receives lesser number of passengers than the other two, about 775 million. similarly, Washington DC railway system which opened in 1976, has shorter routes as compared to London but recieves lesser number of passengers, about 144 million per year. Futhermore, the underground railway system in Kyoto, despite having the shortest routes of about 11 kilometers welcomes the least number of passengers, about 45 million each year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the prompt well by presenting data for all six cities across the four categories (date opened, route length, and passenger numbers). The overview paragraph successfully captures the main features, such as Tokyo having the highest number of passengers and Kyoto having the lowest. The body paragraphs group the information logically, comparing dates, route lengths, and passenger figures appropriately. The data cited is accurate and drawn directly from the table. The response could be slightly more polished by integrating more explicit overarching comparisons between older and newer systems, but overall, the task is well addressed, earning a solid Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information is divided into an introduction, an overview, and distinct body paragraphs comparing the cities. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'In contrast', 'similarly', and 'Futhermore' are used to connect ideas, though some transitional phrasing feels slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different points of comparison. Referencing is generally clear, though minor improvements in lexical cohesion could make the transitions smoother. The overall progression is easy to follow, justifying a Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating terms such as 'illustrates', 'distinct cities', 'experiences', and 'underground railway system'. However, there are some repetitive phrases like 'number of passengers' and occasional word-choice or spelling inaccuracies, such as 'whivh' instead of 'which' and 'Futhermore' instead of 'Furthermore'. While less common vocabulary is attempted, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Communication is not impeded by these lexical slips, which firmly places this response at a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'despite having the shortest route', 'which opened in 1927'). However, there are notable grammatical errors and punctuation issues, including lowercase letters at the beginning of sentences (e.g., 'overall'), comma splices, and typographical errors (e.g., 'recieves', 'lesser number' instead of 'fewer'). Complex structures are attempted with varying degrees of success, and these errors occasionally distract the reader, though they do not impede overall communication. These features align with a Band 6.0 descriptor.

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