Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-07-30

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 a harbor in 2000 and how it looks now.

Overall, The layout has changed significantly although some few structures remained unchanged. Others have been newly introduced while some few were rearranged.

In 2000, the layout was simple. There was a car park, and showers and toilets on the northwestern part near the main road. Adjacent to that is marina (private yachts). Fishing boats were located on the south of marina and a car park was on its left. There was another road on the southern region that led to a life boat. Castle (disused) was situated at the southeastern area and a public beach was just on its left. The central area had passenger ferries, a dock and a public beach on the upper side.

Today, the harbor has changed significantly. Showers and toilets have been added on the area near the main road and marina and fishing boats have been interchanged. The castle (disused) has been changed to hotel and the public beach that was on its left has been converted to private beach for the hotel. Cafes And shops has been introduced near the lifeboat while other structures remained unchanged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the harbour and provided a clear comparison between the two time periods. You covered the key changes, such as the conversion of the castle and the relocation of the marina and fishing boats. To reach a higher band, ensure you provide a more analytical overview. Instead of just stating the layout changed, try to group the changes by theme (e.g., commercial development vs. leisure facilities). Additionally, ensure all labels from the map are included; for instance, you missed mentioning the new apartment buildings, which is a significant feature of the current layout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing the past and present. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'In 2000' and 'Today', to signal the shift in time. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical. To improve, try to use more varied linking words and ensure that referencing is precise. For example, in the second paragraph, the phrase 'Adjacent to that' is slightly vague. Using more sophisticated transitions would help the ideas flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to describe the changes, using terms like 'converted', 'interchanged', and 'rearranged'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and repetitive phrasing. For example, 'some few' is redundant, and 'on the area' is not the most natural collocation. You also have some minor errors in capitalization and article usage, such as 'Cafes And shops has been introduced'. Expanding your range to include more precise descriptive adjectives and nouns related to urban planning would elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips. For instance, 'Cafes And shops has been introduced' contains a subject-verb agreement error (should be 'have been'). There are also missing articles throughout the text, such as 'near the main road and marina' (should be 'the marina'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and consistent article usage.

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