Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-27

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 7.0)

The table illustrates different aspects of underground railway systems of six major cities in the world(London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles).

Overall, the first underground railway was opened in London and it covered the longest route among the six cities while Tokyo underground railway carried the highest number of passengers yearly.

London city is the pioneer of underground railway systems which opened for public in 1863 while Los Angeles is the newest in the list opening in 2001. London underground railroad covers 394 kilometers of route which is the longest, followed by Paris. It covers 199 kilometers of path. Both Tokyo and Washington DC covers an area of more than 100 kilometers. In contrast, Los Angeles only covers 28 kilometers of route. The shortest route is 11 kilometers covered by Kyoto underground railway.

As for the passengers, Tokyo railway carries the highest number of passengers per year which is 1927 million. The second place goes to Paris underground railway system. Every year 1191 million passengers use the railway service. London underground railway also carries a significant number of passengers, which is 775 million. The lowest number of passengers is carried by Kyoto (45 million). Los Angeles carries 50 million passengers per year which is little higher than Kyoto.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response selects the main features clearly: London is identified as the oldest system and has the longest route, while Tokyo carries the most passengers; the newer systems in Kyoto and Los Angeles are also contrasted with the larger networks. The figures for all six cities are reported accurately, and the overview gives the reader a useful summary before the details. This is a strong, well-supported account of the table. To make the coverage more complete, explicitly compare Washington DC’s passenger total with the other systems and note that it is the fourth-highest, rather than leaving its 144 million figure unreported. Also, “Both Tokyo and Washington DC covers an area of more than 100 kilometers” is imprecise: the table gives route lengths, not areas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised in a clear progression: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph comparing opening dates and route lengths, and a final paragraph on passenger numbers. This makes the response easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “As for the passengers” help signal shifts between features. The comparisons are generally grouped sensibly, especially the contrast between the longest and shortest routes. To make cohesion more polished, avoid repeating “underground railway” and “route” so often, and use clearer references where possible. For example, “It covers 199 kilometers of path” makes the referent less direct than naming Paris again or using “its route.”

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for describing the table, with useful terms such as “pioneer,” “newest,” “longest,” “shortest,” and “significant number.” These choices allow the main comparisons to be communicated clearly. However, some wording is imprecise or repetitive: “covers an area” does not accurately describe route length, and “path” is less suitable than “route” in this context. “Underground railroad” is also not the usual term for a city metro system and may suggest a different meaning. Greater precision and a wider range of natural data-reporting expressions would strengthen the response; for instance, use “network,” “route length,” and “annual ridership” where appropriate, while avoiding repeated use of “carries.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, including the contrast in “while Los Angeles is the newest in the list” and the relative clause “which is 1927 million.” Most sentences communicate the intended comparisons without difficulty. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly subject–verb agreement: “Both Tokyo and Washington DC covers” should be “cover.” There are also article and punctuation issues, such as “London city” and the missing space before the opening parenthesis in the first sentence. The phrase “opening in 2001” is an awkwardly attached participial clause; “which opened in 2001” would be clearer. More consistent agreement and cleaner sentence construction would improve accuracy.

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