Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-03

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 provides information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

Overall, the Tokyo recorded the highest passengers per year, while the Kyoto had the lowest. However, the London's railway systems was opened first and also had the longest route whereas the Los Angeles was started recently and the kyoto had the shortest route.

The underground railway system of the Tokyo had established in 1927 and had 1927 millions passengers per year with 155 kilometers of route. Meanwhile, the underground railway system of the Kyoto was opened in 1982 with shortest route of 11 kilometers and had smallest number of passengers per year of 45 millions which is slightly lower then the Los Angeles which had 50 millions passengers per year with 28 kilometers of route.

Turning to remaining data, the underground railway system of the Paris was started second in 1900 with second longest route of 199 kilometers with second highest passengers per year of 1191 millions. London being established first in 1863 with 394 kilometers of route has 775 millions passengers per year. Meanwhile, the Washington DC with 126 kilometer of route and 144 millions passengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by selecting and reporting the main features of the underground railway systems table, and includes relevant comparisons such as noting that Tokyo recorded the highest annual passenger volume while Kyoto had the lowest. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others, and certain data points lack sufficient elaboration or contextualisation. For example, while major trends are highlighted, details regarding some cities are slightly compressed or treated unevenly. Note that 9 words copied directly from the prompt were excluded from the official word count check. To reach a higher level, the response should ensure that all key data features receive a more balanced and extended level of comparison and support.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a logical division into introductory, overview, and body paragraphs. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, and referencing is not always clear. For instance, the transition phrases used to move between data points can feel repetitive or slightly awkward, such as 'Turning to remaining data'. Furthermore, pronouns and referencing devices occasionally create mild confusion regarding which city or statistic is being referred to. To progress further, the writer needs to employ a wider and more flexible variety of cohesive devices while ensuring that the logical progression between sentences and paragraphs feels entirely natural and seamless.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The writer uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to data reporting, such as 'annual passengers', 'route', and 'longest route'. However, there are some noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, form, and collocation, as well as occasional issues with capitalization, such as writing 'the Tokyo' and 'the Kyoto'. Other vocabulary slips include phrasing like 'slightly lower then' instead of 'than'. These errors do not impede communication, but they reflect a level of vocabulary control that falls short of higher bands. To improve, the writer should focus on precise word formation, correct article usage with proper nouns, and refining lexical collocations for data description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting comparative and passive structures throughout the report. There are, however, some recurring errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include structural lapses such as 'the Tokyo's railway systems was opened' (faulty agreement and article usage), 'had established' instead of 'was established', and an incomplete sentence structure in the final paragraph ('Meanwhile, the Washington DC with 126 kilometer of route...'). Despite these issues, the errors rarely impede communication. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to demonstrate greater control over complex sentence patterns, verb voice, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions within grammatical structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.