Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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

You have successfully identified the main features of the harbour and provided a clear comparison between the two time periods. You covered the key developments, such as the addition of the hotel, the new dock, and the reconfiguration of the marina and fishing areas. The overview is present, though it could be more analytical by highlighting the most significant transformation (the shift from a functional fishing/transport hub to a more tourism-oriented site). You addressed all parts of the prompt effectively, ensuring the reader can clearly visualize the changes described.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each time period, and a concluding summary. You use cohesive devices such as 'In the first image', 'In present day picture', and 'Moreover' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the final sentence of the conclusion is repetitive ('interchanging the places between places'). Improving the flow between sentences would elevate the score, but the overall structure is sound and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the map changes, using terms like 'auxiliary road', 'reconfigured', and 'converted'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'In present day picture' (should be 'In the present-day picture') and the repetitive use of 'area' throughout the text. To reach a higher band, try to vary your nouns and use more precise collocations to describe spatial relationships and structural changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. There are a few grammatical slips, such as 'some restaurants and shops has been added' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'branches in to' (should be 'into'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. Your control of tense is generally good, correctly shifting between the past tense for the 2000 map and the present tense for the current layout.

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

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