Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-26

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 the data about the underground railway systems in sx cities including, London, Paris, Tokyo, wastington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.

Overall, the oldest and the largest railway system is located in London, while Los Angeles and Kyoto contain the shortest and the newest train systems. However, the railway systems of Tokyo is accounted for the largest share of passengers.

Looking into the table into more detail, the oldest and the longest route for train is present in London, which covers 394 km distance. Paris ranks second with 199 km route which is formed in 1900. Then this followed by Tokyo and Washington DC which contain 155km and 126 km railway routes, opened in 1927 and 1976 respectively. Furthermore, the most recent train system is situated in Kyoto and Los Angeles that inaugurated in 1981 and 2001 respectively. Additionally, they are the shortest tracks of trains among all six cities.

In term of passengers, Tokyo observed the highest number of passengers of about 1927 millions, while Paris ranked second with 1191 millions, followed by London and Washington DC with 775 millions and 144 million respectively. Conversely, Kyoto and Los Angeles reported the least number of passengers, with 45 millions and 50 million respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by covering the main features of the underground railway systems across the six cities. An appropriate overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting London as the oldest and largest system, Los Angeles and Kyoto as the newest and shortest, and Tokyo as having the highest passenger volume. Key data points such as route lengths, opening dates, and passenger numbers are accurately reported and compared. Minor inaccuracies in data reporting do not prevent the response from fully satisfying the requirements of Task 1. The student clearly identifies the most significant trends and contrasts without unnecessary detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is organized logically with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and well-structured body paragraphs detailing the route characteristics and passenger statistics respectively. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader through the comparisons, such as 'Overall', 'Looking into the table into more detail', 'Furthermore', and 'In term of passengers'. However, paragraphing could be slightly refined, and transitions like 'Then this followed by' are a bit awkward. Overall progression is clear throughout the text, maintaining a coherent and readable structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully using terms like 'underground railway systems', 'route length', and 'passenger volume'. There are some spelling and lexical errors, such as 'sx' instead of 'six', 'wastington' instead of 'Washington', 'inaugurated' used somewhat loosely, and 'In term of' instead of 'In terms of'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with reasonable success, allowing the key features to be communicated clearly, though occasional word choice errors prevent a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Examples of complex structures include relative clauses ('which covers 394 km distance') and participial phrases ('opened in 1927 and 1976 respectively'). While many sentences are accurate, there are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'the railway systems of Tokyo is accounted for', 'route for train is present', and missing prepositions or pluralization errors like '45 millions'. These errors do not impede overall communication, but they demonstrate a lack of consistent control over complex grammatical forms.

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