Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-25

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 pictures illustrates the maps of Porth Harbour comparing its design in the year 2000 and how it looks today.

Overall, the pictures depicts the changes that have been made to the Porth Harbour since 2000. Comparing the changes that happened to several places at the Porth Harbour.

First and foremost, the biggest change is happened to the castle and the nearyby public beach in the south-west direction, it is now converted into a hotel and they also made the beach their private property. They did not changed the carparks but they added the showers & toilets to the southern car park also. Nothing difference is made at the northern public beach.

The area near the lifeboat got new cafes and shops. The fishing boats were removed with the Marina(private yachts) near the southern car park. The dork near the passenger ferries, on the north-east side was a single platform but as of now it has been changed to 2 platforms.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the maps, such as the conversion of the castle into a hotel, the addition of facilities, and the changes to the harbour infrastructure. However, the overview is weak and lacks a clear summary of the most significant trends, such as the shift from a public/fishing-focused harbour to a more commercialized, private-yacht-oriented facility. While the key changes are identified, the description of the 'dork' (dock) and the 'lifeboat' area could be more precise. The response addresses the task requirements but lacks the analytical depth required for a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. The second paragraph is a sentence fragment ('Comparing the changes that happened to several places at the Porth Harbour.') which disrupts the flow. Cohesive devices are used, but they are quite basic (e.g., 'First and foremost'). Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'the biggest change is happened to the castle', where the connection between the subject and the action is poorly managed. The overall structure is logical but lacks sophisticated linking.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several word-choice errors, such as 'dork' instead of 'dock' and 'Nothing difference is made' instead of 'No changes were made'. The student relies on simple descriptors like 'biggest change' and 'new cafes'. To reach a higher band, the student needs to use more precise terminology related to map descriptions, such as 'transformed', 'expanded', 'redeveloped', or 'replaced'. The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but the errors in collocation and word form are noticeable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentences, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'The pictures illustrates' (subject-verb agreement), 'the biggest change is happened' (incorrect passive voice), and 'They did not changed' (incorrect tense). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure is often clunky. While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of errors in basic verb forms and sentence construction prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

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