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 table shows data of the underground railway systems in six different cities.
Overall,it is clearly seen that Tokyo experienced most passengers than the other five cities per year,while very few people travelled by railway in Kyoto.London had a largest underground railway route and first city where railway was opened.
Paris and Tokyo railway systems were opened in 1900 and 1927, respectively.There was a small difference in their distance,Paris's route was 199 kilometers followed by Tokyo about 155 kilometers.1927 million individuals preferred to travel in railway in Tokya which were hightest than all other cities while in Paris 1191 million people used railway systems.In London ,railway was opened in 1863 with distance of 394 kilometers and had 775 million passengers per year.
The railway systems in Washingin DC,Kyoto and Los Angeles were opened in 1976,1981 and 2001, respectively.Out of these three cities,Washington DC experienced more passengers.Kyoto had a smallest railway route with minimum travellers which were 45 million.50 million people travelled by railway in Los Angeles which was opened in 2001.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
You identify the main patterns and include an overview: Tokyo has the highest annual passenger total, Kyoto the lowest, and London the longest route and earliest opening. The response also reports figures for all six cities, so the key information is covered. Some comparisons are less fully developed, however. For example, Washington DC is described as having the most passengers among the three newer systems, but its figure of 144 million is not stated, and the contrast between route length and passenger use across the cities could be clearer. The overview is relevant, though “experienced most passengers” does not precisely express the data. More accurate comparisons and a fuller account of the notable extremes would strengthen the summary.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group the older and newer systems. This gives the information a generally logical progression, and linking expressions such as “respectively” and “Out of these three cities” help readers follow the comparisons. Some connections are mechanical or unclear, particularly the shift from route lengths to passenger totals in the paragraph about Paris and Tokyo. The final paragraph also omits Washington DC’s passenger figure, making the comparison less complete. Improve cohesion by grouping related data consistently and using clear comparative links, rather than moving between measures without signalling the relationship. Punctuation spacing after full stops and commas also affects the flow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “route,” “passengers per year,” “respectively,” and “minimum.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “experienced most passengers,” “preferred to travel in railway,” and “a largest underground railway route” do not express the data naturally. There are also spelling errors in “Tokya,” “hightest,” and “Washingin,” which reduce the accuracy of the report. Aim for standard data-description phrases such as “recorded the highest passenger numbers” and “the shortest route.” A more precise and consistently appropriate vocabulary range would make the comparisons easier to understand.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “London had a largest underground railway route and first city where railway was opened” and a sentence using “which” to connect information. Meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical errors remain. Articles are missing or incorrect in phrases such as “a largest” and “a smallest”; the latter should use a superlative form with the appropriate article. The construction “which were 45 million” also has unclear agreement and reference. Several sentences run together because spaces are missing after punctuation, and commas are inconsistently placed. Check articles, clause structure, and sentence boundaries, while retaining the range of sentence forms you are attempting.
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