Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-05

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 blueprints illustrates the changes made to habour from 2000 to present day.

Overall, it is clear that the area underwent significant changes over the period. Major advancements was addition of new dock and replacing old disused castle in a hotel. Therefore, lifeboat and car parks remained at their original positions.

At the first glance, in the north there was a public beach with a single dock in 2000. over the period, now their are two docks but the public beach remained unchanged. To the north-west main road was connected to car park and showers and toilets with marina space for private yacths. Over the past of time, showers and car park remaind on its original positions. While, marina was replaced by fisihng boats.

Analysing further, to the south west in 2000 there was a car park and harbour for fishing boats. Nowadays, ther is additon of showers and toilets with car park and fishing boats harbour was replaced by marina. To the south, there is addition of cafes and shops near lifeboat. The unused castle and public beach near to castle is now a hotel and private beach.

AI examiner evaluation

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 docks, the conversion of the castle into a hotel, and the reconfiguration of the marina and fishing facilities. However, the description is occasionally inaccurate; for instance, the text claims the public beach remained unchanged, whereas the map shows it was converted into a private beach. Additionally, the reporting of locations is sometimes confusing, such as the reference to the north-west versus the south-west. While the main trends are identified, the lack of precision in reporting specific details and some confusing spatial descriptions prevent a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, starting with an overview and moving to specific areas of the harbour. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'At the first glance', 'While', and 'Analysing further', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced. There are issues with referencing; for example, the phrase 'Over the past of time' is awkward, and the connection between sentences sometimes lacks fluidity. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed body paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of the description.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the changes (e.g., 'advancements', 'reconfigured', 'addition'). However, there are several spelling errors ('habour', 'yacths', 'fisihng', 'ther') and word choice inaccuracies ('blueprints' instead of 'maps' or 'plans', 'over the past of time'). These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader, though they do not fully impede communication. To reach a higher band, the student needs to improve spelling accuracy and use more precise collocations when describing geographical changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Subject-verb agreement is often incorrect, such as 'The blueprints illustrates' and 'Major advancements was'. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'replacing old disused castle in a hotel' instead of 'with a hotel'. While the meaning remains generally clear, the frequency of these errors is high. The student should focus on basic sentence construction, specifically ensuring that subjects and verbs agree and that articles are used correctly before nouns.

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

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