Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-12

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 depicts the underground railway system constructed in six cities across the world. it is showing when was the underground railway system constructed, how many kilometer it can travel, and the statistic of the passengers travelling in million every year.

The earliest underground railway system from these six cities was built in London on 1863 and the rail-line was 394 kilometers long. On average 775 millions passengers used the underground railway. On the other hand the latest edition of underground railway system was built in 2001 in Los Angeles and it was 28 kilometers stretched, which carried 50 mliions passenger per year.

In the cities like Kyoto and Washington DC the underground railway system was very limited and it also used by lesser number of passengers in compare to other cities. A drastic fluctuation can be seen. Kyoto's underground railway system was made in 1981 and it travelled just 11 kilometer carrying 45 million passengers in a year. Washington DC constructed the system in 1976 which travelled 126 km helping 144 million passenger in a year. Whereas, Tokyo's underground railway system was built in 1927 which could travel 155 kilometes and highest number of passenger travelled in compare to other five cities with 1927 million passengers travelling in a year. Paris is near to tokyo's statistic of the underground railway system. It was constructed in 1900 and it could travel 199 kilometers and it carried 1191 millions passengers in a year.

Overall, From the earliest construction of underground railway system in London in 1863 to the latest construction in 2001 the kilometer network is drastically reduced. The number of passengers travelled was not steady. These cities showed different numbers in the passengers travelled in a year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover all six cities and report the opening dates, route lengths and annual passenger figures, with useful comparisons such as London having the longest route and Tokyo the highest passenger total. The overview also identifies a broad contrast between the older and newer systems. This meets the task well, and the specific figures provide relevant support. However, some comparisons are unclear or imprecise: calling Paris “near to Tokyo’s statistic” does not specify that Paris is second in passenger numbers, and the claim that route length is “drastically reduced” from the earliest to latest system overlooks the variation among the other cities. A sharper overview of the extremes and a more accurate summary of the overall patterns would make the response more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, paragraphs describing the figures, and a concluding overview. Information is generally grouped sensibly, and transitions such as “On the other hand” and “Whereas” help signal comparisons. However, some linking is mechanical or does not express the relationship clearly. For example, “In the cities like Kyoto and Washington DC” introduces two systems with quite different route lengths and passenger totals, while “A drastic fluctuation can be seen” does not explain what is fluctuating. The final paragraph also repeats the opening-date comparison without adding much. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each comparison directly to the relevant figures; this would make progression smoother and references more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “underground railway system,” “route,” “constructed,” and “passengers,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts at more descriptive wording, such as “drastic fluctuation,” though this phrase is not a natural fit for the data. Several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive: a railway “travelled” a number of kilometres, “latest edition” is used for the newest system, and “passengers travelled” is repeated. Spelling and form errors such as “mliions” and “kilometes” also reduce precision. Choose standard data-reporting expressions and vary them carefully, for example, say a system “covers” a distance and “carries” a number of passengers.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “which” and contrasts with “Whereas,” so there is some structural variety. Most of the information remains understandable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms occur across the response. Examples include “it is showing when was the underground railway system constructed,” where the indirect question has incorrect word order, and “The earliest … was built in London on 1863,” where the preposition is incorrect. There are also agreement and plural errors in “775 millions passengers” and “144 million passenger,” as well as inconsistent capitalisation at sentence starts and for “Tokyo.” Review indirect-question word order, articles, prepositions with dates, and singular/plural agreement; more accurate control of these patterns would strengthen the writing.

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