Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-04
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 6.0)
The maps compare the how harbour looked in 2000 and today.
Overall, the Porth harbour underwent significant development, with the construction of new cafes and shops. The major change was conversion of public beach into private beach in the southern side of Porth harbour and the exchange of positions of marina for private yarts and fishing boats.
To begin with, there were two public beaches. The first beach was on the northern side of Porth harbour, while other was in the southern side. On the western side, car park, shower and toilets were located and beside this marina for private yachts was situated. The boats for fishing were placed below marina for private yacht and car park left side of fishing boats. Moreover, there was a dock and passenger ferries above the central part. In addition, there was a lifeboat presented. Castle was located in the south-east side of Porth harbour.
By the present day, public beach, which is located in the southern side of Porth harbour, is converted into private beach. The castle is replaced to make way for hotel. Furthermore, the dock facilities are extended. Fishing boats are moved to marina for private yarts place and Fishing boats are taken by marina for private yarts. Besides this, Cafes and shops are established next to lifeboat.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers the main features of the maps well, identifying key changes such as the conversion of the beach, the relocation of the marina, and the addition of new facilities. The overview is clear and highlights the most significant developments. However, the description of the boat movements is slightly confusing; for instance, the phrase 'Fishing boats are taken by marina for private yarts' is unclear and does not accurately reflect the visual information. While the main features are reported, the spatial relationships could be described with more precision to ensure the reader can clearly visualise the changes.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the past and present states. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. The referencing is generally clear, but some transitions between sentences feel mechanical. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring smoother transitions between the description of different areas would help elevate the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'significant development', 'conversion', and 'established' used correctly. However, there are some inaccuracies and spelling errors, such as 'yarts' instead of 'yachts' and 'the how harbour' in the opening sentence. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and the repetition of 'Porth harbour' and 'private yachts' suggests a need for more varied synonyms. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring correct spelling of key terms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles (e.g., 'the how harbour', 'in southern side') and prepositions. Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'The castle is replaced to make way for hotel', which is missing an article. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and word order. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on article usage and sentence construction will improve accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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