Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The table illustrates the underground train system in six major cities based on opening years, route length, and anually passenger count.

Overall, the London has the oldest and longest system, but Tokyo carries the most passenders. The newest systems-Kyoto and Los Angeles-are much smaller and handle the fewest people.

London's network opened first in 1863 and is the longest at 394 kilometers, serving 775 million passengers a year. Paris opened in 1900 with 199 kilometers and convey 1191 million riders. Tokyo opened in 1927, and while its network is 155 kilometers shorter than previous two, it carries the highest number of passengers at 1927 million each year.

In contrast, newer systems are smaller. Washington DC(1976) covers 126 kilometers with 144 million ravelers. Kyoto(1981) and Los Angeles(2001) have the shortest tracks at 11 and 28 kilometers, accomodate just 45 million and 50 million commuters.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main comparisons clearly: London is the oldest and longest-running system, while Tokyo has the highest annual passenger total, and the newer systems are smaller and less used. The response also includes relevant figures for all six cities. However, the overview’s grouping of Kyoto and Los Angeles as the newest systems is slightly imprecise, since Washington DC also opened relatively recently, and some comparisons are only briefly developed. The response is also 7 words below the required minimum. To strengthen coverage, add a little more detail about the contrast between route length and passenger numbers—for example, Paris carries more passengers than London despite having a much shorter route.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a summary of the main features, and two paragraphs comparing the older and newer systems. This gives the information a logical progression, and linking phrases such as “Overall” and “In contrast” help signal the structure. Some connections could be more precise, however. “The newest systems—Kyoto and Los Angeles” leaves Washington DC’s position unclear, while “shorter than previous two” requires the reader to infer that the comparison is with London and Paris. Use explicit references and organise the figures into clearer groups, such as the three oldest systems and the three most recent, to make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “route length,” “network,” “serving,” and “carries,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are, however, several spelling errors—“anually,” “passenders,” “ravelers,” and “accomodate”—and some word choices or collocations are not natural for describing the table. For example, “convey 1191 million riders” is less suitable than “carry” or “transport,” and “shortest tracks” is less precise than “shortest routes.” Aim for accurate spelling and consistent, formal terms for passenger totals and route length; this would make the description more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “while its network is 155 kilometers shorter… it carries the highest number of passengers.” Most of the information remains understandable, but some grammatical errors are present. The opening phrase “the London” uses an unnecessary article, and “Paris… convey” has a subject–verb agreement error. The final sentence also lacks a clear grammatical link between the two city names and the verb phrase “have the shortest tracks”; punctuation around “Washington DC(1976)” and “Kyoto(1981)” needs attention. Check articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries, and use spaces around parenthetical dates.

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.