Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The table provides information regarding underground railway system in six cities.

Overall, the underground railway system of London covered the longest distance, whike Paris and Tokyo carried the highest number of passangers. In contrast, Los Angeles and Kyoto operated on shorted routes with significantly lower number of passangers per year.

In terms of date opened, London opened in 1863,which was the earliest among six cities. Paris and Tokyo followed in 1900 and 1927, respectively. In contrast, system in Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles were established much later, in 1976, 1981 and 2001, respectively.

Regarding route length and annual passanger number, London has the largest network extending 394 kilometers, followed by Paris system extending 119 kilometers. Tokyo's systems covers 155 kilometers and carries approximately 1927 million passangers annually, the highest figure in the table. Washington Dc covers 126 kilometers and serves 144 million passanger annually. In contrast, Kyoto and Los Angeles has the shortest network, extending 45 and 50 kilometers, respestively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrasts in the table, including London’s early opening and extensive route, and Tokyo’s highest annual passenger figure. The overview also notes that Kyoto and Los Angeles have much smaller systems, which helps address the key features. However, some details are incomplete or inaccurate: Paris is said to have a route of 119 kilometres, whereas the table gives 199, and the final comparison mistakenly gives Kyoto and Los Angeles passenger figures as route lengths. Paris’s high passenger total is also not reported, despite the overview mentioning Paris and Tokyo as carrying the most passengers. More precise selection and reporting of all four measures would make the summary more complete and clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs covering opening dates and system size/passenger use. Sequencing the cities chronologically in the opening-date paragraph is effective, and transitions such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “Regarding” help signal relationships. However, the final paragraph combines route length and passenger numbers in a way that becomes confusing, particularly when the Kyoto and Los Angeles figures are presented as route lengths. Some linking phrases are repeated, and the relationship between the overview and supporting details is not always clear. Grouping the largest systems and busiest networks separately from the smaller ones, while keeping each figure beside its correct measure, would improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “covered the longest distance,” “followed,” “established,” and “extending,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are, however, several spelling errors, such as “whike,” “passangers,” “shorted,” and “respestively,” which reduce accuracy. Some word choices and collocations are also imprecise: “shorted routes” is not natural, and “passenger number” would be clearer as “passenger numbers” or “annual passenger totals.” Repeating “system” and “network” is understandable but could be varied with accurate terms such as “route” or “railway.” Check spelling carefully and choose vocabulary that distinguishes route length from passenger volume.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the relative clause “which was the earliest among six cities” and the coordinated list of later opening dates. Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “Tokyo’s systems covers” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “Kyoto and Los Angeles has” should use a plural verb. Articles and number forms also need attention in phrases such as “underground railway system in six cities” and “lower number of passengers.” There are punctuation and spacing slips, including “1863,which.” Review agreement, articles, and plural forms, then proofread punctuation; these corrections would make the varied sentence structures more controlled.

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