Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-11

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 6.5)

The plans below show a harbour in 2000 and how it looks today.

Overall, the harbour has undergone significant development. Several new facilities have been added, while the disused castle has been replaced by a hotel. The marina and other areas have also been rearranging

In 2000, there was a marina for private yachts in the western part of the harbour, with fishing boats located further south. A car park and showers and toilets were situated near the main road. There was also another car park close to the fishing-boat area. In the southeast, a disused castle stood beside a public beach. The harbour also contained a dock, passenger ferries and a lifeboat station.

Today, the harbour has been modernised. The marina has been moved, and new showers, toilets and a car park have been added. Cafés and shops have also been built near the lifeboat station. Most notably, the castle has been replaced by a hotel, and the public beach has become a private beach for hotel guests.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively covers the main features of the harbour's transformation. You successfully identified key changes, such as the replacement of the castle with a hotel and the relocation of the marina. The overview provides a clear summary of the overall trend of modernization. However, to reach a higher band, you could improve the precision of your comparisons. For instance, while you mention the marina moved, specifying its new location relative to the original would provide more detail. Additionally, ensuring all significant changes—such as the expansion of the car park or the addition of the hotel's private beach—are described with more comparative detail would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized, with a clear introduction, a body paragraph for the 2000 layout, and a body paragraph for the current layout. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'In 2000', 'Today', and 'Most notably', which help guide the reader. To improve, try to incorporate more varied cohesive links between sentences to avoid a slightly repetitive structure. For example, instead of starting several sentences with 'There was', you could use participial phrases or relative clauses to link information more fluidly, which would enhance the overall flow of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'modernised', 'disused', and 'significant development'. The vocabulary is generally accurate and appropriate for describing maps. However, there is a minor error in the introduction where you used 'rearranging' instead of the passive 'rearranged'. To achieve a higher score, aim to incorporate more precise collocations related to map descriptions, such as 'situated in the vicinity of' or 'underwent a complete transformation'. The current vocabulary is sufficient for the task but lacks the sophistication and variety required for the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The marina has been moved, and new showers, toilets and a car park have been added.' Most of your sentences are clear and error-free, which aids communication. There is a minor grammatical error in the introduction ('have also been rearranging' should be 'have also been rearranged'). While your control of grammar is generally good, the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. Incorporating more varied complex sentences, such as those using 'while', 'although', or 'which' clauses, would demonstrate greater grammatical flexibility.

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