Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-26
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 Porth harbour has been cahnged over a period of 26 years, from 2000 to present.
Overall, Porth Harbour underwent significant redevelopment between 2000 and the present, with several existing facilities being replaced or expanded. The most notable changes included the development of tourist facilities and the reorganisation of areas for fishing boats and private yachts.
According to the plan, the northern part of the harbour underwent a number of significant changes between 2000 and present. The dock area has been expanded to make way for a larger area. The marina ( private yachts) beside the car park and showers & toilets has been demolished and replaced with an area for fishing
Currently, there have been relatively significant changes in the southern part of the porth harbour over the years of 2000 to present. One interesting change is that fishing boats beside the car park has been replaced by a marina for private yachts. However, the southwest corner in the harbour a new shower and toilet facility has been added in this area. In the middle point on the harbour and beside the lifeboat new cafés and shops has been introduced. Regarding the southeast corner, the porth harbour castle (disused) has been demolished to make way for hotel a near by private beach.
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 all key features of the harbour plans, including the expansion of the dock, the relocation of the marina, and the addition of new amenities like cafés and a hotel. The overview effectively captures the main trends of redevelopment. However, there are some inaccuracies in the reporting of the spatial layout; for instance, the description of the 'northern part' and 'southern part' is slightly confusing as the plan does not explicitly label these zones, and some details, such as the 'private beach', are described in a way that is slightly disconnected from the visual evidence. Overall, the response is well-structured and addresses the prompt requirements sufficiently.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on different areas of the harbour. Cohesive devices such as 'According to the plan', 'However', and 'Regarding' are used to guide the reader. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the transition between ideas within the paragraphs could be smoother. Some referencing is slightly repetitive, such as the repeated use of 'the harbour' and 'the area'. Overall, the progression of information is clear, and the logical flow is maintained throughout the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'redevelopment', 'demolished', and 'facilities' used correctly. There are some minor spelling errors, such as 'cahnged' instead of 'changed' and 'porth' (which should be capitalized as a proper noun). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the changes, but it lacks the more sophisticated, precise collocations that would elevate the score to a higher band. The use of 'middle point' is slightly unnatural; 'central area' would be more appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement, such as 'fishing boats... has been replaced' and 'cafés and shops has been introduced'. Additionally, there are some awkward phrasings, such as 'hotel a near by private beach' and 'the southwest corner in the harbour a new shower... has been added'. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. More attention to pluralization and prepositional usage is needed.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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