Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-03

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 given table chart illustrates information about the underground railway system in six cities including London, Paris, Tolyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles. The data is measured in millions.

At the outset, it is crystal clear that the London underground railway system was build in 1863 it covered 394 kilometers of routes, while passengers travelled per year was 775 million. Conversly, Paris railway system opened in 1900. It covered 199 kilometer of distance, whereas maximum numbers of passengers travelled per year was 1191 million. Meanwhile, Tokyo railway station build in 1927 it covered 155 kilometers of distance, but citizens travelled by this route was the second highest which was 1927 million.

Moving towards the remaining data, Los angeles opened railway line in the year 2001 but it covered shorter distance was 28 and numbers of passengers travelled were also low ehich was 50 million. Similarly, Kyoto opened railway line in 1981 it covered 11 kilometers of routes, whereas 45 million people travelled per year.

Overall, London covered the highest route in distance, but passengers travelled was lower. In contrast, Paris railway line covered lesser route, but passengers travelled was the highest.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the table’s subject and report several key comparisons, including London’s longest route and Paris’s highest annual passenger total. The overview at the end is relevant, and the figures for London, Paris, Tokyo, Kyoto and Los Angeles are mostly included. However, coverage is uneven: Washington DC is omitted entirely, and the opening paragraph’s claim that Tokyo had the “second highest” passenger figure is inaccurate, since Tokyo had the highest figure at 1,927 million. Some comparisons are also unclear, such as describing Paris’s passenger total as “maximum” without directly contrasting it with Tokyo. Include all six cities and make the overview accurately identify the main extremes in both route length and passenger numbers.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, two paragraphs presenting data, and a concluding overview. The sequence from older systems to newer examples is generally understandable, and linking expressions such as “Meanwhile,” “Similarly,” and “In contrast” help connect information. This provides a coherent progression, though some transitions feel mechanical and the comparisons within sentences are not always easy to follow. For example, “Meanwhile, Tokyo railway station build in 1927 it covered…” joins several ideas without a clear grammatical link. The final overview also repeats London and Paris rather than drawing together the full set of main patterns. Grouping the cities by notable features and using clearer sentence boundaries would make the organisation more flexible and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for describing a table, including “covered,” “whereas,” “in contrast,” and “per year.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, which limits precision. “The given table chart” is redundant, “railway station” does not accurately describe a railway system, and “passengers travelled” is an awkward way to report annual usage. There are also spelling errors, including “Tolyo,” “Conversly,” and “ehich,” as well as inconsistent capitalisation of “Los Angeles.” Use standard data-reporting phrases such as “the system carried” or “annual passenger numbers,” and vary the verbs used to describe route length and usage.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, particularly through contrasts using “while,” “whereas,” and “but.” The main information is usually understandable, but some sentence structures and verb forms are inaccurate. For example, “the London underground railway system was build in 1863 it covered…” contains an incorrect verb form and joins two independent clauses without suitable punctuation. Similarly, “Tokyo railway station build in 1927 it covered…” lacks a correctly formed verb and clear clause structure. There are also issues with articles, plurals and agreement, as in “199 kilometer” and “maximum numbers … was.” Aim to form complete clauses with accurate past-tense verbs, and check singular/plural agreement and punctuation when combining comparisons.

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