Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-28

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 illustrates the data of underground railway systems in six different cities of the world.

Overall, London was the first city to have underground railway, while Los Angeles was the last one. Railway system in London ran the highest kilometer of route, whereas the railway in Kyoto ran the lowest kilometers of route. However, Tokyo railway has the highest number of passengers in one year and Kyoto has the lowest number of passengers per year.

Underground railway in London was established in 1863, which is the oldest among all. Followed by Paris in 1900, Tokyo in 1972, Washington Dc in 1976, Kyoto in 1981. Los Angeles has established the underground railway system in 2001.

London railway system ran 394 kilometers of route, however Kyoto railway system ran only 11 kilometers of route. Railway systems in Paris, Tokyo, Washington Dc and Los Angeles ran 199 km, 155km, 126, and 28 km of route respectively. Tokyo railway has the highest number of passengers, 1927 millions per year compared to only 45 millions per year in Kyoto railway. 1991 millions of passenger travelled through the railway of Paris. In London railway, there were 775 millions passengers per years while in the Washington Dc there were only 144 millions passenger in one year. Only 50 millions people travelled from the railway station in Los Angeles per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You provide a clear overview of the main contrasts: London has the oldest and longest system, Los Angeles the newest, and Tokyo the highest annual passenger total, while Kyoto is lowest for both route length and passengers. Most figures are reported, and the comparisons are relevant. However, one important data error weakens accuracy: Tokyo opened in 1927, not 1972. Some details are also less fully expressed; for example, the route lengths are listed without consistently identifying the units, and the passenger figures would be clearer as millions of passengers per year. Check each figure against the table and make the overview and supporting details equally precise to strengthen coverage of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall structure, moving from an introduction and overview to opening dates, route lengths, and passenger numbers. This makes the main information easy to locate. Paragraphing is appropriate, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “while,” and “whereas” help signal comparisons. Some cohesion is mechanical or unclear, however. The sequence of opening dates uses the fragment “Followed by Paris in 1900, Tokyo in 1972…” rather than a complete sentence, and repeated references to “railway system” make the final paragraph feel list-like. Grouping the cities more deliberately—for example, comparing the three largest systems and then the smaller ones—would create smoother progression and reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “established,” “passengers,” “route,” and “compared to,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are some imprecise or unnatural choices, such as “ran the highest kilometer of route” and “travelled through the railway,” which do not express the data naturally. “Millions of passenger” also shows difficulty with the appropriate form and collocation. Use standard chart language such as “had the longest route,” “carried passengers,” and “million passengers annually.” Avoid repeating “railway system” in nearly every sentence; alternatives such as “network” or “metro” can add variety when used accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons with “while” and “whereas,” and most of the information remains understandable. Some grammatical errors persist. “Followed by Paris in 1900…” is a sentence fragment, while “Tokyo railway has” and “London railway system ran” show inconsistent article use and awkward tense choices for describing the table. There are also agreement and plural errors in “there were 775 millions passengers” and “144 millions passenger.” Aim for complete sentences and use consistent present tense for table descriptions, such as “London’s system carries 775 million passengers per year.” These corrections would improve accuracy while retaining your range of sentence forms.

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