Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-21
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 following table illustrates the information about the underground railway systems in the city of London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles. It includes the year in which it opened, the total kilometers of route it covers and the number of passengers travelling per year(in millions).
Overall, London's underground railway was the earliest to open and covers the largest area if compared to the other cities but the number of passengers travelling per year are the greatest in Tokyo.
London's underground railway was opened in 1863 that covers a distance of 394km and carrys 775 million passengers a year. The underground railway of Paris was opened in 1900 that covers a distance of 199km with 1191 million passengers travelling per year. Tokyo's underground railway was opened in 1927 that covers a distance of 155km and carrys 1927 million passengers a year, which is one of the busiest around the world. The underground railway of Washington DC was opened in 1976 that covers a distance of 126km and carrys 144 million passengers a year. Kyoto's underground railway was opened in 1981 that covers a distance of only 11km(the least compared to the other cities) carrying 45 million passengers a year. Last but not the least, the underground railway of Los Angeles was opened in 2001 which covers a distance of 28km carrying 50 million passengers a year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The student successfully covers all parts of the task by selecting, reporting, and comparing the main features of the underground railway systems across the six cities. An appropriate overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting key extremes such as London's early opening date and route length alongside Tokyo's passenger volume. The data points are accurately cited and integrated into the text. The response meets all requirements for a Band 7 level in Task Achievement by providing a clear, well-supported overview and presenting the main trends and comparisons effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized logically into an introduction, an overview, and a detailed body paragraph. Cohesion within sentences is generally clear, and basic cohesive devices are utilized. However, the progression in the body paragraph tends to list data city by city in a slightly repetitive, mechanical structure ('The underground railway of... was opened in...'). While paragraphing is used, the lack of distinct separation for the detailed comparisons limits higher bands. Nevertheless, the overall arrangement is coherent and easy to follow, aligning well with Band 6.0 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'illustrates', 'route', 'passengers travelling per year', and 'busiest'. However, there is a recurring spelling and form error ('carrys' instead of 'carries') and some repetition in phrasing when introducing each city's data. Less common lexical items are attempted with some success, but precision and variety remain at a Band 6.0 level, where the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main points despite minor inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses (e.g., 'which was opened in 1900 that covers...'). There are, however, grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the number of passengers... are the greatest') and slight awkwardness in clause linking. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are present, they do not impede communication, placing the response firmly in the Band 6.0 category for grammatical range and accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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