Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-07-29

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The plans below show a harbour in 2000 and how it looks today.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

 

 

Student answer (Band 7.0)

The plans illustrate the changes Porth Harbour underwent by comparing how it looked in 2000 with how it is today.

Overall, the harbour saw some addition of new services and relocation of previously existing amenities. The significant addition was of a newly built hotel and privatization of a significant portion of the previously public beach.

In 2000, there was a smaller public beach in the southern side of Porth Harbour, near a disused castle. A lifeboat facility also existed near that castle and was connected to the main road via a pathway. One of the two car parks located in the harbour was also accessible throught that pathway. Marina, a facility for private yachts was opposite to the area for fishing boats. Likewise, a dock existed for passenger ferries towards east of the Marina.

As of today, there have been an addition of dock for the ferries, while the area for fishing boats and the private yachts have been swapped. In the place of castle, a hotel has been constructed and linked to the road that leads towards lifeboat and also the main road. New cafes and shops have been added near that region A small beach that existed for all,  have been made private and limited to the hotel usage. Finally, the southern carpark have been directly connected to main road ,and a showers and toilets facility has been added besides it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response effectively covers the main features of the harbour plans. You have identified the key changes, such as the construction of the hotel, the relocation of boat facilities, and the privatization of the beach. The overview provides a clear summary of the transformation. However, to reach a higher band, ensure that all comparisons are precise. For instance, you mention the fishing boats and yachts were 'swapped', which is a good observation, but you could further detail the spatial shifts. The inclusion of the new shops and cafes is well-noted. Overall, the response is well-structured and addresses all requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, moving from the 2000 layout to the current changes. You use some cohesive devices like 'Likewise', 'As of today', and 'Finally' to link your points. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be improved by ensuring each paragraph has a more distinct thematic focus. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences could be more tightly connected to improve the flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the changes, using terms like 'privatization', 'amenities', and 'disused'. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'addition of dock' (should be 'an addition of a dock') and 'in the place of castle' (should be 'in place of the castle'). These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the response from reaching the higher bands where more sophisticated control is required.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles and subject-verb agreement. For example, 'there have been an addition' should be 'there has been an addition', and 'the southern carpark have been' should be 'the southern car park has been'. Additionally, 'throught' is a spelling error. Despite these slips, the meaning remains clear throughout the text. To improve, focus on proofreading for singular/plural agreement and article usage, as these are frequent minor errors.

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