Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-31

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 provides data of the underground railway systems in six cities ( London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto, Los Angeles) dividing into four categories ( city, opening date, Kilometres of route, passengers per year in millions).

Overall, Paris had the largest amount of passengers per year. In contrast, Kyoto had the smallest ratio of routes and the proportion of passenger ranked the lowest throughout. While other four countries had decent number of railway passengers.

London railway station had opened in 1863, maintaining the largest number of routes at 394, with a passengers of 775. Whereas Paris city had built it's railway in 1900 ,a bit late comapred to UK, keeping it's route speed at about 199 km , having a great nimber of passengers about 1191 million per year. In contrast, Tokyo had opened it's underground railwat in 1927 , keeping it at 155 km of speed, with a amount of 1927 millions per year, becoming the largest figure over the period.

Regarding Washington DC, underground railway systems opened in 1976 , maintaing a route of 126km , with a number of merely 144 milions passenger every year. Meanwhile, Kyoto railway station built in 1981 , with only 11 kilometres of route , having passenger at about 45 millions per year. However, Los Angeles opened it's station a few years ago, with a route of 28km , maintaing 50 millions of passengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrasts and include figures for all six cities, with a useful overview that Tokyo has the highest annual passenger total and Kyoto the lowest. You also report London’s longest route and give relevant opening dates, so the response addresses the key features. However, the overview is not fully accurate: Kyoto has the fewest passengers, but Los Angeles has the shortest route. Some comparisons are also unclear or imprecise, such as calling the route figures “speed” and describing the other four cities as having a “decent number” of passengers without specifying the contrast. To strengthen the report, make the overview precise and compare the route lengths and passenger totals directly, rather than adding unsupported descriptions such as “a few years ago.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs grouping the cities. Linking expressions such as “In contrast,” “Meanwhile,” and “Regarding” help signal comparisons, and the reader can generally follow the sequence from older systems to newer ones. However, some connections are mechanical or do not express the relationship accurately. For example, “Whereas Paris…” is attached awkwardly after the London sentence, and “However” before Los Angeles suggests a contrast that is not clearly explained. The overview also repeats information later without developing a consistent comparison. Grouping cities by a clear feature—such as the largest systems and the smaller systems—and using more precise links would make progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “underground railway systems,” “route,” “passengers per year,” and “maintaining.” This allows you to report the table’s main categories and attempt comparisons. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, sometimes making the data harder to interpret: route length is called “speed,” passenger totals are described as a “ratio” or “proportion,” and “a great nimber” appears to mean a large number. There are also spelling errors such as “comapred,” “railwat,” and “maintaning.” Aim for precise data-reporting language, especially “route length,” “annual passenger numbers,” “highest,” and “lowest,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including longer comparisons with “While,” “Whereas,” and “Meanwhile,” and the main information is usually understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, possessives, agreement, and sentence boundaries. For instance, “with a passengers of 775” has an incorrect article and plural form, while “it's railway” uses a contraction where the possessive “its” is needed. The opening sentence also has an awkward structure, and the “Whereas Paris…” clause is not joined cleanly to the preceding sentence. Punctuation spacing is inconsistent, and several long sentences would be clearer if divided or rebuilt with a complete main clause. Keep the complex comparisons, but check each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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