Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-13

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 below shows information on the underground railway system in six cities namely, London,Paris,Tokyo,Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.The information demonstrates when the railway was opened, kilometers of route and number of passengers per year in millions.

Overall, kilometers of route corresponds to the year it was opened. London has the highest kilometer of route and Tokyo has the highest number of passengers. Kyoto was the least in both the Kilometer of route and passengers per year.

London, Paris and Tokyo has the highest number of passengers per year . Tokyo, opened in 1927, was leading with 1927 passengers and Paris, opened in 1900, came second with 1191 passengers. London which was opened in 1863, despite having the highest kilometers of route it came third with 775 passengers per year.

A city with least number of passengers was Kyoto which had 45 passengers . The second least was Los angeles with 50 passengers.

In terms of kilometers of route, London came first with 394 kilometers seconded by Paris with 199 kilometers. Kyoto was the least seconded by Los Angeles with 11 and 28 kilometers respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the table’s subject and give a clear overview of the main contrasts: London has the longest route, Tokyo carries the most passengers, and Kyoto is lowest on both measures. You also support these points with relevant figures and compare the leading and lowest passenger totals. This covers the key features, although some aspects are less fully reported: Washington DC is omitted from the detailed comparisons, and the statement that route length “corresponds to the year it was opened” is not supported by the figures. To strengthen the summary, include all six cities in a more systematic comparison and describe the opening dates accurately—for example, London is the oldest system and Los Angeles the newest, while route length does not simply follow opening date.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to passenger figures and then route lengths. This gives the reader a coherent overall arrangement, and phrases such as “In terms of kilometers of route” help signal a change of focus. However, progression is weakened by some repetition: the overview’s claims about London, Tokyo and Kyoto are repeated in the body, while Washington DC is not integrated into either comparison. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “came” and “seconded.” Grouping the cities by highest, middle and lowest figures, and using clearer comparisons between the two measures, would make the organisation more purposeful and cohesion less repetitive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “kilometers of route,” “passengers per year,” “highest” and “least,” so the main information is generally understandable. There is some variation in how comparisons are expressed, but the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural. For example, “corresponds to the year it was opened” suggests a relationship that the data do not establish, and “seconded by Paris” is not the appropriate expression for ranking. “Leading with 1927 passengers” is also imprecise because the table reports 1,927 million passengers. Improve precision by using standard data-reporting language such as “recorded,” “ranked second,” “the largest network” and “the lowest annual ridership.” Check capitalisation and spelling of city names as well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “despite having the highest kilometers of route it came third.” Most sentences communicate the intended comparisons, but some errors in agreement, articles, punctuation and sentence construction remain. For example, “London, Paris and Tokyo has” should use a plural verb, and “A city with least number” needs an article before “least.” The opening sentence also runs city names together after commas, while the final sentence’s “with 11 and 28 kilometers respectively” makes the figures’ order unclear. Use commas consistently, check singular and plural subjects, and make sure comparison clauses clearly identify which figure belongs to each city.

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