Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-08

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 data of the underground railway systems in six distinct cities: London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.

Overall, it is clearly seen that oldest opened railway system was in London which had longest route. While, Tokyo railway system had highest number of passengers per year.

To begin with, London railway system was opened in 1863 which covered 394 kilometers of route and had average 775 million passengers per year. 199 kilometer of route is covered by Paris railway system along with serving 1191 million passengers every year. Tokyo railway system opened in 1927, had the biggest number of passengers accounted for 1927 million, while serving only 155 kilometer area.

Probing further, Washington DC railway system was spreaded in 126 kilometer, obtained only 144 million passengers each year. In 1981, Kyoto railway station ws opened to cover route of 11 kilometer, had minimum number of passenger per year, accounted for 45 million. While, the most recent opened railway system was Los Angeles which opened in 2001 and had 50 million passenger every year on 28 kilometer route.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main patterns clearly: London is the oldest system and has the longest route, while Tokyo carries the most passengers. You also include figures for all six cities, so the response addresses the task and gives relevant comparisons. However, some features are reported less fully than others. For example, Paris’s opening date is omitted, and the overview could compare the newer, shorter systems with the older, larger networks more explicitly. Some descriptions are also imprecise: “covered 394 kilometers of route” does not clearly express route length, and “serving only 155 kilometer area” misrepresents a route measurement as an area. A more complete overview and consistently precise reporting of the table’s categories would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs grouping the cities. The progression from London and the larger systems to Washington DC, Kyoto, and Los Angeles is easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “To begin with” and “Probing further” help signal movement. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some of the flexibility associated with stronger cohesion. However, “While” is used to begin a sentence fragment-like contrast in the overview and again before the final Los Angeles detail, making the connections somewhat mechanical. Grouping cities by a clear comparison, such as older versus newer systems or passenger numbers, would create smoother progression and reduce the list-like effect.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “underground railway systems,” “route,” “passengers,” and “most recent,” and the reader can understand the comparisons. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “Probing further,” though this expression is not a natural fit for describing table data. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate: “data of” is less idiomatic than “data on,” “covered … kilometers of route” is awkward, and “spreaded” is not the correct form. “Railway station” also refers to a station rather than a system. These errors do not prevent understanding, but more precise and natural collocations would improve control. Prefer straightforward reporting verbs such as “had,” “served,” and “recorded.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which had longest route” and a contrast using “while.” The main information is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. Articles are missing in “oldest opened railway system” and “had longest route”; the latter should be “had the longest route.” There are also problems with sentence construction and punctuation: “While, Tokyo railway system…” is not a complete independent sentence, and “Tokyo railway system opened in 1927, had…” incorrectly joins the clauses. Subject–verb agreement and number forms also need attention in “45 million” passenger(s) and “199 kilometer … is covered.” Check articles, plural forms, and clause boundaries, and use a consistent past tense for opening dates.

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