Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-06
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 maps illustrate the development of Porth Harbour between 2000 and the present day.
In 2000, the western side of the harbour featured a main road running north to south. Adjacent to it were two car parks, one in the north next to showers and toilets and a marina for private yachts, and another further south. Fishing boats were moored in the central area, while a dock for passenger ferries lay to the east. A road crossed the harbour towards a lifeboat station, and a disused castle stood on a small peninsula in the southeast. Public beaches were located both in the northeast and along the southern shoreline.
Today, several key alterations are evident. The northern car park and showers/toilets remain, but fishing boats now occupy the area previously used by the marina. A second set of showers and toilets plus another car park have been added further south. The marina for private yachts has moved south of the fishing boats, and a row of cafes and shops has been built along the central road leading to the lifeboat station (which is still present). The former castle site has been redeveloped into a hotel. The dock and passenger ferry services continue in roughly the same location, and the public beaches remain largely unchanged.
Overall, the harbour has undergone significant modernisation, with a clear shift towards tourism and recreational facilities. The most noticeable changes include the conversion of the disused castle into a hotel, the addition of cafes and shops, and the expansion of amenities such as extra car parks and showers.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.0 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response is excellent and fully addresses all parts of the task. You have provided a clear overview of the changes, identifying the shift toward tourism and recreation, and supported this with specific details from both maps. The comparison between the 2000 layout and the present day is logical and accurate. You have successfully highlighted the key features, such as the redevelopment of the castle into a hotel and the addition of commercial amenities, without getting bogged down in irrelevant detail. The information is well-selected and presented in a way that makes the transformation of the harbour easy to follow.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The response is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. You have used paragraphing effectively to separate the initial state, the changes, and the summary. Cohesive devices such as 'In 2000', 'Today', 'while', and 'furthermore' are used naturally to guide the reader through the spatial and temporal changes. The referencing is precise, ensuring that the reader can easily track the movement of facilities like the marina and the addition of new infrastructure. The flow between sentences is smooth, and the overall structure is highly coherent.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate a wide and flexible range of vocabulary appropriate for describing maps and urban development. Phrases such as 'key alterations are evident', 'redeveloped into a hotel', and 'shift towards tourism and recreational facilities' show a sophisticated command of language. The word choice is precise and contributes to the clarity of the report. There are no noticeable errors in spelling or collocation, and the vocabulary is used naturally throughout the text, reflecting a high level of proficiency.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0
The response displays a wide range of grammatical structures with high accuracy. You have successfully used a mix of simple and complex sentences, such as 'The northern car park and showers/toilets remain, but fishing boats now occupy the area previously used by the marina.' Punctuation is used correctly to manage complex information. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and the control over verb tenses—switching between the past tense for the 2000 description and the present tense for the current state—is handled perfectly.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.