Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-13
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 two maps show how the harbor has developed from 2000 to present.
Overall, the harbor has gone through considerable changes with new amenities being installed. Some significant changes have been made to castle and fishing area. New road junction has been installed, connecting to hotel.
In 2000, the western side of the harbor contained shower and toilets, car park, and marina. The road runs through the port harbor from southwest to the southeast, connecting lifeboat to main road on the west. A castle was found on the southeastern side, with public beach to the left.
Today the harbor has gone under several changes. Fishing boat and marina yacht swapped their positions, and new shower and toilet facilities have been installed above the car park. In addition, café and shops have been constructed next to lifeboat. Castle has been replaced with hotel at the southeast corner. Public beach at south near the castle has been converted to private beach that is now only for hotel. Furthermore, on the northern side, a new dock facility has been installed.
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 student provides a clear overview of the maps detailing the changes to the harbor between 2000 and the present. The main features are identified and reported, such as the relocation of the fishing boats and marina yachts, the addition of new dock facilities, and the replacement of the castle with a hotel alongside a newly designated private beach. Comparisons are appropriately made where relevant, fulfilling all the requirements of an Academic Task 1 response. The information is generally accurate and well-selected, though a slightly more integrated overview in the introduction would enhance the structural flow. Overall, the response successfully covers the key developmental changes presented in the visual prompts.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is organized logically with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory statement, follows with a concise summary in the second paragraph, describes the 2000 layout in the third paragraph, and concludes with the present layout in the final paragraph. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different temporal phases of the harbor. However, cohesive devices are somewhat basic and mechanical at times, relying heavily on direct placement of details rather than sophisticated transitional phrasing (e.g., using 'In 2000' and 'Today' effectively, but lacking smoother connectors between internal sentences). Referencing is generally clear, though paragraph transitions could be more tightly woven to achieve a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating specific terms related to maps and geography, such as 'amenities', 'marina', 'dock facility', and 'relocated' concepts. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary items (e.g., 'converted', 'constructed'), but occasional word-choice inaccuracies and missing articles occur, such as writing 'the harbor has gone under several changes' instead of 'undergone', or 'Castle has been replaced' without an article. Despite these minor lexical slips, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding the reader's understanding.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as relative clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'connecting to hotel', 'that is now only for hotel'). However, there are noticeable grammatical inaccuracies, particularly concerning missing articles ('to hotel', 'with public beach', 'Castle has been replaced') and occasional prepositions ('gone under' instead of 'undergone'). Punctuation and sentence boundaries are generally controlled, and these errors do not impede communication, placing the grammatical performance firmly within the Band 6 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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