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 given table presents the data about underground railway system in six different cities. The data shows the dates on which railway stations were opened in those cities also the distance of route of each station and number of passengers in millions, who travelled through those stations.

Overall, the railway station located in London is the oldest and longest one whereas, railway station of Los Angeles is newset among all. While railway station of Tokyo has highest number of passenger per year.

The railway station of London is the ancient one, that were opened in 1863, with the longest route of 394 km while Kyoto has the smallest route of railway station of 11km. Kyoto railway station were opened in 1981 and visited by only 45 million passengers that is the least visited station from all of other mentioned cities. Railway station of Tokyo is has the highest number of passenger that are 1927 million per year. This station were opened in 1927 with 155km route.

The railway station of Paris was opened in 1900 with 199km long route and second most visited station with 1191 million passenger per year. The railway station of Los Angeles was opened in 2001 with 28km route and Washington DC's railway station has 126km route with 144 million passengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main comparisons clearly: London is the oldest system and has the longest route, Los Angeles is the newest, and Tokyo carries the most passengers. You also include relevant figures for all six cities, so the key information is covered and the overview gives the reader a useful summary. To make the report more fully developed, compare the figures more directly rather than mainly listing each city in turn. For example, you could highlight that Tokyo’s annual passenger total is far above Paris’s despite its shorter route, or group the two smallest systems together. Also ensure every comparison is precise: Kyoto has the fewest passengers, while Washington DC’s figure is higher, and the table describes systems rather than individual stations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details, and the information is generally easy to follow. The overview appropriately selects the oldest, longest, newest and busiest systems. However, the body paragraphs do not establish a particularly clear grouping: London, Kyoto and Tokyo are discussed together, followed by Paris, Los Angeles and Washington DC, without an evident comparison linking each set. Repeated openings such as “The railway station of…” also make the progression feel mechanical, and “whereas” is used where the relationship between the facts is not always clear. Organise details by a meaningful contrast, such as older/larger systems versus newer/smaller ones, and use concise references like “the system” to improve flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main data, including “route,” “passengers per year,” “oldest,” and “longest.” Some choices, however, are inaccurate or repetitive and reduce precision. “Railway station” refers to a stop, not the underground network, so repeating it throughout mislabels the subject. “Ancient” is an unsuitable description for a modern transport system, while “visited by” does not naturally describe passenger use. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “newset” and “passenger” where a plural is needed. Use a more varied set of accurate terms, such as “underground system,” “network,” “carried,” and “annual ridership,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the overall meaning can usually be understood. However, errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence construction occur repeatedly. For example, “that were opened” should agree with the singular system, and “Tokyo is has” contains two competing verb forms. “Kyoto railway station were opened” also has incorrect agreement, while the opening sentence needs clearer punctuation between its clauses. These problems make some sentences awkward and occasionally slow the reader, even though the figures remain understandable. Practise building accurate sentences around one main clause, then add comparisons with controlled subordinate clauses. Check subject–verb agreement and use a consistent past form when reporting opening dates.

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