Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-26

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 presents the data regarding the underground railway systems in six different cities.

Overall, London, being the oldest, has the longest route in kilometers comparing to other cities, while Kyoto has the shortest route among all. Tokyo has the most crowded railway system with the most passengers per year, wheras the Kyoto has the fewest passengers.

The underground railway system in London was opened in 1863 and it has the longest route of 394 kilometers till date, with 775 million passengers traveling per year. It is the oldest railway system being opened, while Los Angeles railway system is the recent one, opened in 2001 with only 28 kilometers in length and 50 million passengers per year.

Tokyo opened its railway station in 1927 with 155 kilometers of route. It has the highest number of passengers traveling every year with 1927 million people, while Kyoto railway system got started in 1921 with only 11 kilometers of route and 45 million passengers per year. Paris has the second most crowded railway system with 1191 million passengers per year, it has 199 kilometers of route opened in 1900. Washington DC railway system also started in 1976 with 126 kilometers of route and 144 million passengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You provide a relevant summary and identify several key features: London is the oldest system and has the longest route, while Kyoto has the shortest route and fewest passengers; Tokyo carries the most passengers. You also include figures for all six cities, which gives the reader a useful overview. However, some comparisons are less fully developed. For example, Paris has the second-longest route, but this is not highlighted, and the overview does not compare the systems’ passenger numbers beyond the extremes. There is also a factual error: Kyoto opened in 1981, not 1921. A more complete overview and careful checking of the figures would make the main trends clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs presenting details. The information is generally easy to follow, and comparisons such as London versus Los Angeles and Tokyo versus Kyoto help organise the data. However, the final paragraph groups Tokyo, Kyoto, Paris and Washington together without a clear organising principle, so the progression becomes less smooth. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly repeated uses of “while” and “with.” Consider grouping the cities by a meaningful feature, such as older versus newer systems or higher versus lower passenger totals, and use more precise referencing to make relationships between figures clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing the table, including “longest route,” “fewest passengers,” and “highest number,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are, however, some inaccurate or unnatural choices. “Most crowded railway system” suggests physical congestion rather than annual passenger volume, and “railway station” is not the same as a railway system. “Till date” and “got started” are also less suitable for a formal data summary. The spelling error “wheras” and the phrase “comparing to other cities” show that word choice and spelling are not consistently controlled. Prefer precise terms such as “annual passenger numbers” and “route length” throughout.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “while” and participial phrases such as “being opened in 1863.” Most sentences communicate the intended information, but some grammatical errors remain. In the overview, “London … has the longest route … comparing to other cities” has an incorrect structure; use “compared with other cities.” The phrase “the Kyoto has” includes an unnecessary article, and “Paris has …, it has …” joins two independent clauses with only a comma. There is also a tense inconsistency in “Kyoto … got started in 1921,” alongside the table’s past opening dates. More accurate clause construction and consistent past-tense reporting would improve control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.