Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-24

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 table illustrates the information about underground railway systems in London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles. Units are measured in percentages and kilometres.

Overall, it is clear that Tokyo has the highest number of passengers per year, while Kyoto has the lowest number in the figure. London is the oldest underground railway system in the figure, where Los Angeles is the newest one.

To begin with, the London underground railway system was opened in 1863, and also boasts the longest route network at 394 Kilometres. Paris and Tokyo opened considerably later in 1900 and 1927 respectively, with route lengths of 199 and 155 kilometres. Washington Dc, by contrast, opened in 1976 with 126 kilometres of route. Kyoto and Los Angeles opened in 1981 and 2001 with route lengths of 11 and 28 kilometres, which are both the lowest in the figure.

On the other hand, the Tokyo underground railway system was by far the busiest, carrying 1927 million passengers annually despite having a considerably smaller network than London. Paris also carried more passengers than London, at 1191 million, compared to London's 775 million per year. Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles carried fewer passengers ranging from 45 to 144 million per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the table and making relevant comparisons across all six cities. The overview paragraph clearly highlights the extremes, noting Tokyo for having the highest passenger numbers, Kyoto for the lowest, and identifying London and Los Angeles as the oldest and newest systems respectively. Key data points regarding dates, route lengths, and annual passenger volumes are accurately selected and contrasted. However, there is a minor factual oversight in the introductory paragraph where the student states units are measured in percentages, whereas they are actually absolute numbers (kilometres and millions of passengers). Despite this minor confusion, the response fully addresses the prompt with well-developed ideas, earning a solid Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information is grouped logically by theme, starting with an introductory overview, followed by details on dates and route lengths in the third paragraph, and passenger numbers in the fourth paragraph. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'by contrast', and 'On the other hand' are used effectively to guide the reader through the comparisons. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and referencing is clear (e.g., comparing Paris and Tokyo to London). The progression is smooth and easy to follow, making this a strong Band 7.0 performance for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate and appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to data and urban transport such as 'network', 'annually', 'busiest', and 'route lengths'. There are attempts at less common phrasing like 'boasts the longest route network' and 'considerably smaller network'. However, there is an inaccurate lexical choice in the introduction where the student states 'Units are measured in percentages', which is incorrect for this dataset. Spelling and word choice are generally accurate and do not impede communication. This balanced performance sits comfortably at Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses, comparative structures, and introductory adverbial phrases (e.g., 'despite having a considerably smaller network than London'). Grammatical control is generally strong with a high proportion of error-free sentences. Punctuation is used correctly to separate clauses and list cities. While there is a slight error in the phrasing of the introduction ('The table illustrates the information about...'), the vast majority of the text is grammatically sound. This demonstrates the control and variety characteristic of a Band 7.0 score.

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