Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-20

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 7.0)

The table gives information about underground railway systems in six cities. It compares the date they opened, the length of their routes and the number of passengers per year.

Overall, London has the oldest and longest railway system, while Tokyo has the highest number of passengers. Kyoto has the shortest route and the lowest number of passengers.

London underground opened in 1863 and has a route of 394 kilometres, with 775 million passengers per year. Paris opened in 1900, with 199 kilometres of route and 1,191 million kilometres passengers. Tokyo started in 1927 and has 155 kilometres of railway. However, it carries the highest number of passengers, at, 1,927 million per year.

The other three systems are newer. Washington DC opened in 1976 and has 126 kilometres of route, carrying 144 million passengers. Kyoto opened in 1981 and has only 11 kilometres, with 45 million passengers. Finally, Los Angeles opened in 2001 and has 28 kilometres of route and 50 million passengers annually.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The student has successfully addressed all parts of the task. The response provides a clear overview highlighting the main features, such as identifying that London has the oldest and longest system, Tokyo carries the highest number of passengers, and Kyoto has the shortest route and lowest passenger volume. Data points from the table are accurately selected and effectively compared across the six cities, fulfilling the requirements for Academic Task 1 without any major omissions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

Information and ideas are logically sequenced throughout the response. The writing is divided into logical paragraphs, starting with an introduction and overview paragraph, followed by detailed body paragraphs that group older and newer systems appropriately. Cohesive devices are used effectively, such as 'Overall,' 'However,' and 'Finally,' ensuring a smooth progression of ideas from one point to the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to describing statistical data, using terms like 'railway systems,' 'route,' 'passengers per year,' and 'annually.' There is a minor slip in the third paragraph with the phrase '1,191 million kilometres passengers,' which appears to be a slight lexical and referencing confusion, but overall the vocabulary is precise enough to communicate the intended data accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The majority of sentences are grammatically accurate, with good control over tense usage when referring to past dates of establishment and present data points. Minor punctuation errors are present, such as the unnecessary comma in 'at, 1,927 million per year,' but these errors do not impede communication or strain the reader.

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

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