Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-16

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 given table provides data about the underground railway systems in six different cities of the world.

Overall, the table clearly depicts that London has the longest route whereas Tokyo has attracted more passengers per year. However, Kyoto has the shortest route and attracted less passengers.

To begin with, The subway station of London opened in 1863 which had a route of 394 kilometers. Additionally, it attracted 775 million passengers that year. On the other hand, Paris commenced its station in 1900 which had a route of 199 kilometers. Moreover, 1191 million passengers travelled in it. The railway station in Tokyo started in 1927. Its route covered 155 kilometers while it attracted exactly 1927 million travellers in the whole year.

In addition to this, Washington DC opened the subway station in 1976. The route was stretched to 126 kilometers while only 144 million people travelled in it. The situation in Kyoto remained low as it started its station in 1981 which had a route of 11 kilometers with only 45 million individuals travelled that whole year.

Finally, Los Angeles had its own railway station in 2001. The length of the route was 28 kilometers and 50 million people travelled in it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover all six cities and report the three measures, with a clear overview identifying London’s longest route and Tokyo’s highest annual passenger total. The comparisons are generally relevant, and the figures are mostly presented accurately. This meets the core requirements well. To make the summary more complete and precise, develop the overview beyond the two extremes: for example, note that London is the oldest system, Los Angeles the newest, and Tokyo’s passenger total is highest despite its route being shorter than London’s and Paris’s. Some details are also less clearly expressed, such as “attracted 775 million passengers that year,” which may suggest the opening year rather than the annual figure shown in the table. More synthesis across the data would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that move through the cities in a generally understandable order. Linking expressions such as “On the other hand,” “In addition to this,” and “Finally” help signal transitions, and the information is easy to follow. The organisation is effective, though some connections are mechanical or do not express a meaningful contrast: “On the other hand” introduces Paris after London without a clear opposing point. The body also reports cities one by one rather than grouping them to highlight comparisons, such as the older, larger systems versus the newer, shorter ones. Use linking language more selectively and organise details around comparisons to make progression more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing the table, including “route,” “commenced,” “covered,” and “length.” The meaning is generally clear, and there are attempts to avoid repeating the same wording. However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural for this data: “subway station” refers to a station rather than an entire railway system, and “the situation in Kyoto remained low” is vague. “Attracted” is also repeated and is less precise than language describing passenger use. Aim for accurate collocations and consistent terms for the systems and their annual usage. More precise vocabulary would help you compare the figures without relying on broad or awkward phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple sentences and longer clauses, and most of the information remains understandable. There is some control of past-tense reporting, as in “opened in 1863” and “started in 1927.” However, several grammatical errors remain. Capitalisation is inconsistent in “To begin with, The subway station,” and the Kyoto sentence has a faulty clause structure: “with only 45 million individuals travelled” should be recast, for example, as “and only 45 million people travelled on it.” The phrase “which had a route” is repeated and can make the relationships between clauses cumbersome. Check sentence boundaries, clause construction, and punctuation, while varying sentence patterns more accurately.

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