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 how the 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 this site 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 the marina for private yacht 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 this area.
By the present day, public beach, which is located in the southern side of this site, is converted into private beach. The castle is replaced to make way for hotel. Furthermore, the dock facilities are extended. Fishing boats are relocated to marina for private yachts place and Fishing boats are taken by marina for private yachts. 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 all key features of the maps, including the conversion of the beach, the relocation of boat facilities, and the addition of new infrastructure like the hotel and shops. The overview is clear and highlights the most significant changes. However, there is some confusion in the description of the boat relocation, where the phrasing 'Fishing boats are taken by marina for private yachts' is slightly ambiguous. Overall, the response effectively summarizes the main trends and provides relevant comparisons between the two time periods, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0 performance.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of information is generally clear, moving from the past state to the present day. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the referencing of locations (e.g., 'northern side', 'southern side') helps the reader follow the spatial changes. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that the relationship between sentences is more fluid.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing for a clear description of the changes. The student uses relevant terms such as 'underwent significant development', 'conversion', and 'relocated'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'exchange of positions of marina for private yarts' (should be 'yachts') and 'lifeboat presented' (should be 'a lifeboat was present'). The repetition of 'private yacht' and 'fishing boats' also limits the lexical range. Improving the precision of these terms and correcting spelling errors would enhance the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the' is often missing, e.g., 'on southern side', 'beside the marina') and prepositions. Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'The castle is replaced to make way for hotel'. There are also minor issues with subject-verb agreement and word order. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band. Focusing on article usage and sentence structure variety would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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