Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
The plans illustrates how Porth Harbour has changed between 2000 and the present day.
Overall, the Porth harbour has undergone considerable development. The most noticeable change is the Castle which has been disused has been replaced by a hotel. In addition, a water closet have been added next to car park.
The most significant changes took place at the abandoned castle and public beach. The castle has been convert into a hotel and the public peach next to it have also owned by the hotel. A new cafes and shops lot have been added to location left side of the life boat area and followed by a fresh showers & toilets section sandwiched between two car parks. Furthermore, the dock on the north side of the life boat area has been make abridged.
By contrast, western side of the harbour has experienced relatively few changes. The former water closet and the car park opposite of it remain in the original location. However, the fishing boats and the Marina private yatchs area has exchanged their location.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers the main features of the harbour's transformation, including the conversion of the castle and the addition of new facilities. However, the report lacks precision in describing the spatial relationships. For instance, stating that the public beach is 'owned by the hotel' is an inference not clearly supported by the visual data, and the description of the new cafes and shops is somewhat vague. While the main trends are identified, the overview could be more analytical by grouping the changes into themes (e.g., commercial expansion vs. infrastructure maintenance) rather than just listing them. The response meets the requirements of the task but lacks the depth of analysis required for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on different areas of the harbour. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Furthermore', and 'By contrast' are used to guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'followed by a fresh showers & toilets section sandwiched between two car parks'. The referencing is generally clear, but the progression of ideas within the second body paragraph feels slightly disjointed due to the rapid listing of features. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and the information is presented in a coherent manner.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'undergone considerable development' and 'disused' used correctly. However, there are several instances of inaccurate word choice and collocation, such as 'make abridged' instead of 'shortened' or 'reduced', and 'yatchs' (spelling error). The phrase 'water closet' is technically correct but sounds unnatural in this context, where 'restrooms' or 'facilities' would be more appropriate. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, but the lack of precision and occasional errors in word formation prevent a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The plans illustrates', 'a water closet have been added', 'public peach... have also owned'). Additionally, there are errors in verb tense and passive voice construction ('The castle has been convert', 'dock... has been make abridged'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to demonstrate a lack of control over complex structures, which is a key requirement for higher bands.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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