Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-30

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 displays data about the metro systems across six different cities.

Overall, London has the largest and oldest railway system, while the number of passengers carried by subways in Paris and Tokyo is higher. Kyoto has the shortest route with lowest number of passengers per year.

The underground railway system in London was opened in 1863 and it is largest system with a route of 394km, carrying 775 millions of people each year. On the other hand, the route covered by metro in Paris and Tokyo is shorter than London's route, covering 199 and 155 kilometers, respectively. However, the system in Tokyo and Paris carries higher number of people consisting of 1927 and 1191 millions every year.

Furthermore, the underground railway system established in Washington DC have lower figure for passengers (144 million) as compared to former mentioned cities and covers 126km. Lastly, the subways in Los Angeles and Kyoto has the shortest route of only 28 and 11 kilometers, independently. However, both of the systems carry nearly the same number of people each year, 50 and 45 million, respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You address the task clearly, with a useful overview identifying London as the oldest and largest system and Tokyo as the busiest, while Kyoto has the shortest route and fewest passengers. The main figures for all six cities are included, and comparisons between London, Paris and Tokyo, as well as the smaller systems, support the summary. This is a strong response because it selects the key patterns rather than simply listing every entry. To make the overview more precise, distinguish the largest route from the highest passenger use explicitly, and avoid implying that Paris and Tokyo are similar in passenger numbers: Tokyo’s figure is substantially higher. The opening date pattern could also be summarised across the newer systems.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear progression: an introduction and overview are followed by comparisons among the older, larger systems and then the newer, smaller ones. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these groupings, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “On the other hand,” and “Furthermore” make relationships between points clear. This organisation is effective, though some transitions feel formulaic, and “Lastly” introduces the final comparison without adding much to the logical connection. The reference “former mentioned cities” is also not fully clear about which cities are meant. For a more controlled flow, group the figures by a consistent comparison—such as route length first, then passenger use—and use concise references to the cities being compared.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing the table, including “route,” “carrying,” “established,” and “covers,” and the meaning remains clear throughout. There is some variation in how you refer to the systems, although “metro,” “subways,” and “underground railway system” are not always used with natural or consistent collocations. A few choices are imprecise: “independently” does not mean “respectively,” and “number of people” is less exact than “annual passenger numbers” for this data. These examples explain why the vocabulary is functional but not yet consistently precise. Aim for standard data-reporting phrases and accurate collocations, especially when describing passenger totals and comparing figures.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a contrast introduced by “while” and a comparison beginning “as compared to.” Most sentences communicate the intended information, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “the system … have” should be “the system … has,” and “the subways … has” should be “the subways … have.” The phrase “it is largest system” needs the article “the,” while “carries higher number” also requires an article. These errors do not prevent understanding, but they show that agreement and article use are not yet consistently controlled. Check each subject against its verb and review articles before singular superlatives and countable nouns.

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