Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
The map compares the layout of Porth Harbour in 2000 with its current layout.
Overall, Porth Harbour underwent significant development, with several new facilities and buildings being added, while some existing features were removed or relocated. Looking first at the layout in 2000, the western side of the harbour contained several facilities, including car park, and showers and towels. Coming to the eastern side the castle on the public beach is converted into hotel also a new road is constructed which directs to the hotel. Furthermore, the marina containing the private yachts has been replaced with fishing. To the southern side above the car park a new showers and towels shop has been developed recently.
On the other hand, just before the lifeboat a new cafes and shops is constructed. Moreover, extra boat has been added near the dock side of the passenger ferries. Additionally, the public beach is now converted into private beach exclusively for the hotels.
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 harbour, such as the conversion of the castle into a hotel and the changes to the beach and marina. However, the report lacks precision in describing the spatial relationships, which is crucial for a map task. For instance, stating 'the marina... has been replaced with fishing' is vague, and the description of the 'showers and towels' shop is repetitive and slightly confusing. While the main trends are identified, the response would benefit from a more systematic approach to comparing the two time periods, ensuring that all significant changes are clearly linked to their specific locations on the map.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is organized into paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Looking first at', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'just before the lifeboat a new cafes and shops is constructed'. The logical progression is present, but the transition between the description of the western and eastern sides could be smoother to help the reader follow the spatial changes more effectively.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'showers and towels shop' (which seems to misinterpret the map icons) and 'replaced with fishing'. The range is somewhat limited, relying on basic verbs like 'added', 'converted', and 'constructed'. To improve, you should aim to use more specific terminology related to map descriptions, such as 'transformed', 'relocated', 'expanded', or 'demolished', and ensure that the items identified on the map are described with greater accuracy.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('a new cafes and shops is constructed', 'a new showers and towels shop has been developed') and missing articles ('including car park'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall fluency. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for basic agreement and article usage would significantly improve the quality of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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