Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-02
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 how the Porth harbour transformed with so many access included from 2000 to now.
Overall, it can be seen that the Porth harbour in 2000 has several features and now its showed some significant changes including with cafe and hotels and many more.
Looking at the first map in more detail, it is evident that the harbour of Porth in 2000 has the main road, showers & toilets, car park, life board public beach, private beach which are remained the same with some small changes.
Turning to the second map, it can be seen that the Porth harbour plan now added so many features. The car park changed and has the direct access of main road and another showers & toilets are added behind the car park in the south west corner. There is also a cafe & shops visible next to the lifeboat which is new one. Marina and fishing boats are exchanged by each others position. Whereas, another dock is installed and the disused castle is replaced by a hotel attached with the private beach.
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 plans, identifying key changes such as the addition of the hotel, cafe, and the reconfiguration of the car park. However, the description of the changes is sometimes imprecise. For example, stating that the 'disused castle is replaced by a hotel' is accurate, but the description of the marina and fishing boats being 'exchanged' is slightly confusing. The overview is functional but could be more analytical by highlighting the shift from a more industrial/functional layout to a more tourist-oriented one. Overall, the response addresses the requirements well, though some details could be more clearly articulated.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on the two time periods. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Looking at the first map', 'Turning to the second map', and 'Whereas' helps guide the reader through the information. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'which are remained the same with some small changes'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different stages of the harbour's development, contributing to a clear overall progression.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the features of the harbour clearly. There are some instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'life board' (likely meaning lifeboat) and 'exchanged by each others position'. While the student attempts to use specific terminology like 'disused' and 'installed', the range is somewhat limited. The errors in word choice do not significantly impede communication, but they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. More precise collocations would improve the quality of the report.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'its showed' instead of 'it shows', 'which are remained' instead of 'which remained', and 'exchanged by each others position'. These errors are frequent but do not cause major confusion for the reader. The use of punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence structure could be more varied to demonstrate better control. To improve, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice, which is essential for describing map changes.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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