Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-17

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 data shows and comapares the subground train system in six metrpolis based on their inaugration period, total route length in kilometers and density of the travellers in millions per annum.

Overall, it is evident that the London possess the most oldest extensive railways spread across far greater land than any other city mentioned. American train systems are built much after their counterparts in EU and Asia, the travellers were also fewer in number.

London got its rail line installed in 1863 spanning over 394km of the land and per year passenger record of 775M. Although Tokyo rail system got launched in 1927, much after than that of Paris but it has the highest tourist density of 1927 million people. The United States is seen to have train line spread across much less kilometers of the land with far less people using trains as transport system e.g Los Angeles rail track is spreading across 28 km with only 50 million people travelling through. Kyoto is another city after LA to have the shortest train system installed spanning over only 11km of the land.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrasts: London has the oldest and longest network, while Tokyo records the highest annual passenger figure, and Kyoto has the shortest route. These are relevant overview points, and you include several supporting figures. However, coverage is uneven: Paris is mentioned only in comparison with Tokyo, and Washington DC is not reported at all. The claim that American systems were built later than those in Europe and Asia is broadly supported, but the comparison would be stronger with the opening dates and passenger figures for both US cities. Also, “tourist density” misrepresents the table, which gives total passengers per year, not tourists. Include all six cities and compare the key extremes more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to examples, so the reader can follow its general direction. The overview also helps signal the main comparisons before the details. However, the final paragraph groups information unevenly: it moves from London to Tokyo, then the United States, Los Angeles and Kyoto, without covering Paris or Washington DC. Some links are also awkward or unclear, such as “Although Tokyo … much after than that of Paris but,” where the contrast is difficult to process. Organise the details into clearer comparisons—for example, older, larger systems and newer, smaller ones—and use linking expressions more accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of task-related vocabulary, including “spanning,” “launched,” “extensive” and “per annum,” and the intended meaning is generally recoverable. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “subground train system,” “density of the travellers” and “tourist density” do not describe the table’s measures appropriately. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “comapares,” “metrpolis” and “inaugration,” which reduce the precision of the report. Prefer standard data-reporting phrases such as “underground railway network,” “annual passenger numbers” and “route length.” More accurate collocations and careful spelling would make your vocabulary more effective and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “Although” and a relative clause in “Kyoto is another city … to have the shortest train system.” Meaning is usually understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “the London possess” has an article and subject–verb agreement problem, while “much after than that of Paris” is not a well-formed comparison. “The United States is seen to have train line” also needs an article or plural noun, and “the travellers were also fewer” uses an awkward comparative construction. Check articles, agreement and comparative structures, and punctuate the example beginning “e.g.” as a separate clause or sentence.

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