The table below gives information about the underground railway systems in six cities.
Sample Response
The table provided gives information on the underground railway systems in terms of the routes covered, passengers travelling annually and the years the railway systems openedthe year the railway system was initiated. The indicated information in the table is for six cities.
According to the tableAs per the table, the oldest underground railway railway systemservice provider is London'sis in London and also covers the longest routerail routes (opened in 1863, with 394 km of route)(1863 and 394 km of routes). On the other hand, Los Angeles has the newest systemLos Angeles is the latest as it opened in 2001 and covers the second-shortest railway routesecond least railway route of 28 km.
Furthermore, Tokyo's railway service openedTokyo railway service initiated in 1927 but carries the largest number of passengersconsists the largest number of travellers (1,927 million passengers1927 passengers) among all six citiesall other six cities, while Kyotowhile It is Kyoto that carries the fewest passengersconsists of the least number of travellers (45 million passengers45 passengers).
Overall, the two oldest systems are in London and Paristwo of the oldest systems are London and Paris but Paris and Tokyo have the highest annual passenger numbersit is Paris and Tokyo that has a large number of passengers travelling annually; meanwhile, it is London that has the largest route lengthtravelled (394 km).
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response identifies several important extremes, including London’s age and route length and Tokyo’s passenger total, and it offers a recognizable overview. However, coverage is selective: Washington DC is omitted and several systems receive little or no supporting data, while passenger units are mishandled. The highest-priority improvement is to compare all six cities systematically and report figures with their correct units.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response presents a relevant overview and some accurate key figures, but it omits Washington DC, gives limited coverage of Paris, and reports passenger numbers without the required millions unit.
Cover each city through grouped comparisons and state annual passenger figures explicitly in millions, while distinguishing Tokyo’s opening year from its passenger total.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is arranged in clear stages from introduction to selected details and overview, although the repeated city-by-city pattern limits comparative development.
Organise the body by the three measures or by older and newer systems so related data can be compared within each paragraph.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is adequate for describing tables, but awkward collocations such as “railway service provider,” “consists the largest number,” and “route travelled” recur.
Use precise table language such as “system,” “carried the most passengers,” and “had the longest route.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning is generally clear and some complex structures are used, but recurring article, agreement, capitalization, and verb-pattern errors weaken control.
Check subject–verb agreement and transitive patterns, especially forms such as “Tokyo’s system opened” and “Paris and Tokyo have.”
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The table below gives information about the underground railway systems in six cities.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.