Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-08

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 6.5)

This illustration shows the comparison between current and previous map of Porth Harbour. It can be seen that there are some changes that have been done to the harbour, for instance some eateries have been added, there is an addition of a hotel and another dock area.

In the first image that depicts the harbour in 2000, a main road runs on the Western side of the harbour which was connected to a car park. Further down the road, it branches in to a smaller path that is connected to a car park, a castle and a life boat area. On the northern most part of the map a public beach is located which contains a dock for passenger ferries. Parallel to the Northern car park, there are showers and toilets which are parallel to a private yachts marina. Subsequently, a large fishing boats area was present on the southern side of the marina.

In present day picture there are some developments that can be seen. Another dock has been added near the previous docking area. The location of marina and fishing boats dock has been swapped. One more shower and toilets area has been added in the harbour. Moreover, a hotel has been constructed in place of the castle and some restaurants and shops has been added along with the auxiliary road. The public beach beneath the castle has been converted into a private beach for the hotel.

Overall, there have been some major developments like a hotel in place of the castle and additional docking place for boats and some minor changes like interchanging the places between places.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively covers all key features of the harbour plans. You successfully identified the major changes, such as the addition of the hotel, the conversion of the beach, and the relocation of the marina and fishing docks. The overview provides a clear summary of the main developments. To reach a higher band, ensure that comparisons are more explicit; for instance, instead of just stating that a hotel was built, you could highlight the contrast between the former public nature of the castle area and its current private, commercialized state. Overall, the information is well-selected and accurately reported.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, moving from an introduction to a description of the 2000 layout, then the current layout, and finally a summary. Cohesive devices such as 'In the first image', 'Subsequently', and 'Moreover' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the final paragraph could be more integrated. The progression of ideas is clear, and the referencing is generally consistent, making the text easy to follow throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'auxiliary road', 'marina', and 'converted'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'present day picture' (which is slightly informal) and 'interchanging the places between places' (which is repetitive). To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations related to map descriptions, such as 'situated on the periphery' or 'undergone significant transformation'. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning clearly, though it lacks the sophistication required for the highest bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'some restaurants and shops has been added' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'branches in to' (should be 'into'). Additionally, the phrase 'changes that have been done' is slightly unnatural; 'changes that have been made' would be more appropriate. Despite these errors, the grammar does not impede communication, and you show a good attempt at using varied sentence forms.

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

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