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 compares six underground railway systems in terms of their opening dates, route lengths and annual passenger numbers.

Overall, London has the oldest and longest railway system, while Los Angles is the newest. Tokyo has the highest numbers of passengers, whereas Kyoto has the shortest kilometres of route and lowest passengers' figure.

London's railway underground opened in 1863 and 394 kilometres of route, carrying 775 million passengers per year, Paris which opened in 1900 and has 199 kilometres of route and serve 1191 million passengers annually, Whereas Tokyo established in 1927 and 155 kilometres track, however it is the busiest track ever which carrying 1927 million passengers annually.

On the one hand, remaining three cities has the smallest route by kilometres and also lowest numbers of passengers per year. Basically, DC railway system invented in 1976 and covered 126 kilometres area and 144 million passengers per year, one the other hand, Kyoto which opened in 1981 and has smallest route ever in all 6 cities which is 11 kilometres and only 45 million passengers. Lastly Los angles, which established in 2001 which is newest one and covered 28 kilometres with 50 million passengers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response covers the table’s main features and gives a clear overview: London is identified as the oldest and longest system, Los Angeles as the newest, Tokyo as having the most passengers, and Kyoto as having the shortest route and fewest passengers. It also reports figures for all six cities, so the key information is addressed and supported with relevant data. The comparison between route length and passenger totals is particularly useful. To strengthen the response further, make comparisons more precise rather than relying on broad descriptions such as “the smallest route” or “the busiest track ever.” For example, Tokyo carries more than twice as many passengers as London despite having a much shorter route. This would extend the overview and highlight the most significant contrasts more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, a summary of the main features, and two paragraphs presenting the figures. This makes the information easy to locate. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or unclear. The long sentence beginning “London’s railway underground opened…” joins several city descriptions with commas and “whereas,” making the relationships between the facts difficult to follow. “On the one hand” is also not matched by a clear “on the other hand” contrast, and “one the other hand” is used inaccurately. Grouping the older, larger systems separately from the newer, smaller ones could create a clearer progression. Use shorter sentences and linking expressions that show the exact comparison being made.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “route,” “annual passenger numbers,” “oldest,” “newest,” and “established.” These choices communicate the main comparisons, but the range and precision are limited by repeated or unnatural expressions. “Railway underground” and “busiest track ever” are not natural descriptions in this context, while “smallest route” is less precise than “shortest route.” There are also spelling errors in “Los Angles” and “Los angles,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for consistent, natural collocations such as “underground system,” “route length,” and “annual ridership.” More precise comparative language would help distinguish passenger volume from the physical size of a network.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and complex sentences, and the overview is generally understandable. However, complex sentences are often not controlled successfully, which limits grammatical accuracy. For example, “London’s railway underground opened in 1863 and 394 kilometres of route” is missing a verb in the second clause, and “Paris which opened in 1900 and has…” is not integrated into a complete sentence. There are also agreement and verb-form problems in “remaining three cities has” and “which carrying 1927 million passengers.” Punctuation in the long sentence listing London, Paris, and Tokyo makes the structure harder to follow. Build each city description as a complete sentence, checking that every clause has a subject and verb and that singular and plural forms agree.

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