Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-18

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 illustrate the map of Porth Harbour in 2000 and now. Overall, cafes & shops, showers & toilets, and an additional dock is added in recent time.

Public beach, dock, lifeboat, car parking, passenger ferries and restrooms remained in the same place over the years. While Castle, which was not in use in past years, replaced by hotel. The public beach near the Castle turned into private beach as a hotel facility. New cafes and shops constructed along the road from hotel, beside lifeboat area in south-east of the map. Next to Cafes and shops, there is now Marina which has private yachts which was Fishing boats area in 2000. While Fishing boats and Marina are swapped with each other now, new washrooms have been built near the parking space of Marina. The washrooms are near to the main road. In the north-east, Public beach has two docks now, which is arranged next to previous dock for passenger ferries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully identifies the main features of the harbour, such as the addition of the hotel, the new cafes, and the relocation of the marina. You have made relevant comparisons between 2000 and the present day. However, the overview is slightly underdeveloped; it lists features rather than synthesising the most significant changes, such as the shift from a fishing-focused harbour to a more commercial/tourist-oriented one. Additionally, some descriptions are slightly confusing, such as the claim that the fishing boats and marina were 'swapped', which is not entirely clear from the visual evidence. To reach a higher band, ensure your overview highlights the most striking trends rather than just listing additions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is coherent and follows a logical progression, moving from general changes to specific areas of the harbour. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'While' and 'Next to', to link ideas. However, the paragraphing is insufficient; the entire response is presented as a single block of text. IELTS Task 1 responses should be clearly structured with an introduction, an overview, and at least one or two body paragraphs to separate different features. Furthermore, some referencing is slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be improved with a wider variety of linking words to guide the reader more effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'constructed', 'facility', and 'private yachts'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'in recent time' (should be 'in recent times' or 'recently') and 'not in use in past years' (a bit wordy). The phrasing 'swapped with each other' is also slightly informal for an academic report. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology for describing spatial changes and ensure your collocations are natural. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles and verb tenses, such as 'Castle, which was not in use in past years, replaced by hotel' (missing articles: 'the castle', 'a hotel') and 'an additional dock is added' (should be 'was added' or 'has been added'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. You should focus on subject-verb agreement and the consistent use of articles when referring to specific locations on the map.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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