Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-23

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 demonstrates information related to underground railway systems in six cities

Overall, it illustrates key features such as date opened, kilometers of route and passengers per year (in millions) of these six cities.

The underground railway system was first opened in London and the last system to open was Los Angeles.

In terms of kilometers of route, it can be observed that London has the highest route whereas Kyoto has the smallest route. Paris, Tokyo and Washington have similar kilometers of route and Los Angeles is the second lowest here.

On the contrary, passengers per year has been seen the highest in Tokyo and the lowest in Kyoto. Paris and London also had higher number of passengers compared to washington, kyoto and Los Angeles who havent had such significant numbers.

In conclusion, we can say that the kilometers of route is proportionate to the passengers per year and the opening date has no correlation with the other data.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the table’s subject and give a clear overview of several main features: London’s system opened earliest and has the longest route, while Los Angeles opened latest, and Tokyo has the highest annual passenger figure. These are relevant comparisons and address the task. However, some details are incomplete or imprecise. For example, saying Paris, Tokyo and Washington have “similar” route lengths overlooks the sizeable differences between 199, 155 and 126 km. The final claim that route length is “proportionate” to passenger numbers is not supported by the figures: Tokyo has the most passengers despite a much shorter route than London. Develop the comparisons with accurate figures and avoid conclusions that the table does not establish.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, comparisons of opening dates and route lengths, and a final comment on passenger numbers. Linking phrases such as “Overall,” “In terms of” and “On the contrary” help signal the stages of the summary. This gives the reader a clear general progression. Some connections are less effective, however: “On the contrary” does not express a contrast with the preceding route-length information, and the conclusion repeats a broad claim rather than bringing the key comparisons together. Grouping the figures into clearer comparisons—for example, the older, larger systems and the newer, smaller ones—would make the progression more purposeful and cohesion less formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “underground railway systems,” “route,” “passengers per year” and “proportionate.” These terms make the subject understandable, and you attempt some variation with phrases such as “highest” and “smallest.” At times, though, word choice is imprecise or repetitive. “Similar kilometers of route” does not accurately describe the differences among Paris, Tokyo and Washington, while “significant numbers” is vague when the table provides exact figures. “The last system to open” is understandable but less precise than describing Los Angeles as the most recently opened. Use specific comparative language and figures to make the summary more exact and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple statements and more developed structures, including “whereas” in the route comparison and a relative clause in “Washington, Kyoto and Los Angeles who haven’t had…”. Most sentences remain understandable, and errors do not generally obscure the intended meaning. Some grammatical choices need more control: “passengers per year has been seen the highest” has an awkward passive construction and subject–verb agreement issue; “higher number of passengers” needs an article; and “who” is not appropriate for referring to cities. There are also punctuation and capitalisation slips, such as the missing full stop after the opening sentence and lowercase “washington.” Practise concise, accurate comparison structures to improve consistency.

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