Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-25

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 illustrates information about the opening dates of underground railway systems, distances and passengers serve per year in six cities: London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.

Overall, it can be seen that the earliest and longest underground railways was built in London, while Los Angeles railway was the newest addition and Kyoto was the shortest route built in the system. However, Tokyo has been commuting the highest number of passengers per year.

London underground railway, which was opened in 1863 with 394 kilometers of route has been carrying 775 millions passengers every year. furthermore, Paris railway commuter has been serving more than London's that is 1191 millions per calendar year which was opened in 1900 with 199 kilometers of route. Yet Tokyo underground railway network which started its journey in 1927, along with 155 kilometers route, has been commuting the highest number of passengers yearly that is 1927 millions

Kyoto and Los Angeles underpass railway networks were the most recent inclusions built is 1981 and 2001 respectively. As both of the networks have been running only 11 and 28 kilometers of route, they carry only 45 and 50 millions passenger every year. moreover, Washington DC underground railway is 126 kilometer long which carries 144 millions travelers each year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response selects the main features and gives a clear overview: London is identified as having the oldest and longest system, Los Angeles as the newest, Kyoto as the shortest, and Tokyo as the busiest. It also reports figures for all six cities, so the key information is covered and comparisons such as Paris carrying more passengers than London are relevant. To make the account more fully developed, compare the figures more systematically—for example, note that Tokyo’s annual passenger total is the highest despite its route being much shorter than London’s, and contrast the two smallest systems with Washington. The overview’s phrase “shortest route built in the system” is also unclear; state directly that Kyoto has the shortest route.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the larger systems and then the smaller ones. This gives the reader a coherent overall arrangement, and linking words such as “while,” “however” and “respectively” help signal comparisons. Some connections are less smooth or precise, however. “Furthermore” and “Yet” introduce details without always clarifying the comparison, and the final paragraph shifts from Kyoto and Los Angeles to Washington without a clear grouping. The long sentence beginning “London underground railway” also combines several facts in a way that makes the progression harder to follow. Grouping cities consistently by a clear feature and using more precise links would strengthen the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is adequate vocabulary to describe the table, including “opening dates,” “route,” “network,” “newest addition” and “highest number.” The writer also attempts varied expressions rather than relying entirely on repeated wording. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this data: “passengers serve per year,” “has been commuting,” “railway commuter,” and “underpass railway networks.” These choices sometimes obscure the intended meaning, even though the figures remain understandable. Use standard collocations such as “passengers carried annually,” “the system serves,” and “underground railway network.” Also take care with number forms: “775 millions passengers” should be “775 million passengers.” More precise, consistent terminology would improve clarity and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mix of simple and complex structures, including clauses with “while,” “which” and “as,” and the overall meaning is generally recoverable. Some grammatical errors remain across sentence patterns. For example, “the earliest and longest underground railways was built” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “Kyoto and Los Angeles … were the most recent inclusions built is 1981 and 2001” has a faulty construction. The sentence beginning “London underground railway, which was opened…” also lacks a clear main clause, and punctuation is inconsistent, including lowercase “furthermore” after a full stop and a missing final full stop. Aim for complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check agreement and punctuation when combining clauses.

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