Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-22

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 table provides the data on the underground railway systems in various cities. The information is divided into four columns including the name of the city, opening date, kilometers of route and the number of passengers per year (in millions).

Overall, the table illustrates that the earlier underground was constructed the greater is its route length. For instance, London railway system was opened in 1863 and contains 394 kilometers of route. Despite the fact that this tendency is valid for four cities in the table, it can be seen that Los Angeles railway that was opened in 2001 overtakes Kyoto underground constructed in 1981 by 17 km of route.

The number of passengers per year does not follow the same pattern too. That is why, Tokyo underground overtakes other cities with 1927 million users. Paris underground follows it with 1191 million people. Also, it can be seen that Kyoto underground is the smallest one in terms of the length of route and the number of passengers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You give a relevant overview by identifying the broad relationship between opening date and route length, and by noting Tokyo’s highest passenger figure and Kyoto’s smallest system. You also include useful comparisons, such as Los Angeles having 17 km more route than Kyoto. However, coverage is uneven: Washington DC is omitted, and the overview’s claim that route length increases with age is too broad, since Los Angeles has a longer route than the older Kyoto system. The passenger comparison would be more complete if you also reported the low figures for Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles, and distinguished passenger totals from route size. More precise selection and qualification of the main trends would make the summary more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph about route length and a final paragraph about passenger numbers. The ideas generally progress in a sensible order, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Despite the fact that” and “Also” help connect points. At times, however, the links feel mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely. For example, “That is why” does not clearly show why Tokyo has the highest passenger figure, and “too” in “does not follow the same pattern too” is awkwardly placed. The final paragraph also combines the passenger comparison with Kyoto’s route length without a clear transition. Grouping the figures more systematically and using more exact links would improve flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing the table, including “route length,” “tendency,” “overtakes” and “in terms of.” These choices show an attempt to vary your wording, and the meaning is generally clear. Some expressions are not natural or precise for this context: “the earlier underground was constructed” is an awkward way to describe the opening dates, while “1927 million users” could be expressed more accurately as annual passengers. “Overtakes” also suggests a competition rather than a numerical comparison, and “the smallest one” is vague when referring to both route length and passenger numbers. Choose standard data-reporting collocations and use terms such as “serves” or “records” carefully to make comparisons more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “railway that was opened in 2001” and a concessive structure beginning “Despite the fact that.” Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions are present. In “the earlier underground was constructed the greater is its route length,” the comparative structure and word order are not controlled; a clearer form would be “the earlier a system opened, the longer its route.” The phrase “the number of passengers per year does not follow the same pattern too” also has an awkward placement of “too.” In addition, “London railway system” needs a possessive or article. More consistent control of comparative clauses, articles and sentence patterns would strengthen accuracy.

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