Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The table compares the details of railway systems undergound in London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.

Overall, Tokyo has highest passengers per year, while in terms of route in kilometer Londan is the longest. In contrast, kyoto has the lowest numbers both in size of the route and passengers per year.

London has the oldest underground systems opened in 1863, with 394 kilometers of route, and have around 775 millions passengers per year. Tokyo and Paris were opened with time difference of 27 years, and have range from 150 ~ 200 kilometers respectively, with Tokyo having 1927 millions passengers per year and Paris 1191 million.

In Washington DC the underground systems were opened in 1976 with 126 kilometers of route and transporting 144 million passengers per year. Kyoto and Los Angeles have the shortest railway systems with 11 and 28 kilometers respectively, and 45 million and 50 million passengers anually.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response identifies the main comparisons clearly: Tokyo has the highest annual passenger figure, London has the longest route and is the oldest system, and Kyoto has the smallest route and lowest passenger total. It also includes figures for all six cities, so the key information is covered. The overview is effective, and the body supports it with relevant data. To make the account more fully developed, state the notable contrast that Tokyo carries far more passengers than London despite having a much shorter route, and clarify that Los Angeles—not Kyoto—has the most recently opened system. These additions would sharpen the selection of the table’s most significant features and comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is arranged in a clear progression: an introduction, an overview, and then details grouped by city and relative size. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “respectively” help readers follow the comparisons, and the response remains easy to understand. Some connections could be more precise, however. The sentence about Tokyo and Paris says they “were opened with time difference of 27 years,” but the following route comparison is not clearly linked to the dates. The final paragraph also groups Kyoto and Los Angeles by route length without explicitly distinguishing their opening dates. Use clearer transitions to signal whether each comparison concerns age, route length, or passenger numbers.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing a table, with useful terms such as “compares,” “in contrast,” “route,” and “passengers per year.” The writer also attempts more specific phrasing, including “time difference” and “transporting,” but some choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this context. “Undergound” is misspelled, and “range from 150 ~ 200 kilometers” is not a natural way to report the figures; “ranged from 155 to 199 kilometres” would be clearer and more precise. There is also some repetition of “route” and “opened.” Greater accuracy in collocation and a wider set of comparison terms would improve flexibility while keeping the data precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple statements and longer sentences, including clauses introduced by “while” and “with,” and the main comparisons are generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain. For example, “Tokyo has highest passengers” needs an article and a more suitable noun phrase, while “London … and have around” has a subject–verb agreement problem. In “London has the oldest underground systems opened in 1863,” the sentence structure is awkward, and “775 millions passengers” uses an incorrect plural form. The sentence beginning “Tokyo and Paris were opened” also needs clearer construction. Aim for accurate articles, agreement, and sentence patterns when combining several facts.

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