Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-16

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)

The plan below shows arrangement differences of Porth Harbour between the year 2000 and today.

Overall, the spaces previously empty have been repurposed for a variety of uses. This includes the areas in the east side of the lifeboat such as the castle, which is now a hotel. Some areas have been freed such as cafes and shops near lifeboat, while others have been structually re-organized, such as all spaces in the east side of the main road.

Initially, the east side of the main road used to have two car parks, showers and toilets and dedicated areas for fishing boats and private yachts. While some of those areas remained the same between the year 2000 and today, a new area for showers and toilets has been added near the car park close to the road leading to the lifeboat. Fishing boat areas and marina has swapped places, making marina now closer to the newly opened cafes and shops near the lifeboat.

In addition to this, The castle which was previously disused, has been now converted into a hotel, with the previously public beach now becoming a private beach for the hotel. Though the public beach to the east of the dock, along with passenger ferries remain unchanged.

This highlights notable changes in this area between then and now.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by comparing the main features of Porth Harbour between 2000 and the present day. An appropriate overall trend is provided in the introductory paragraphs, noting key developments such as the conversion of the disused castle into a hotel and the reconfiguration of the maritime areas. Specific features are reported accurately, including the swapping of the fishing boat and marina locations, the addition of new cafes and shops near the lifeboat station, and the shift of the adjacent beach to private use for the hotel. While minor details could be slightly more expansive, all major spatial transformations are covered well, meeting the requirements of a solid performance for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The report displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. The response is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with a brief introduction and overview, moving into detailed body paragraphs regarding structural and spatial changes, and concluding with a summary statement. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to connect ideas, such as 'Initially', 'While some of those areas', and 'In addition to this'. However, referencing and transitions are occasionally slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the repeated mentions of 'the lifeboat', but overall cohesion is clear and supports the progression of information adequately.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate and appropriate for an academic task describing maps. The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some less common items and functional collocations, such as 'repurposed', 'structurally re-organized', 'converted into a hotel', and 'remain unchanged'. There are occasional slight inaccuracies or awkward word choices, such as 'spaces previously empty' and 'Some areas have been freed', but these do not impede communication. The use of precise spatial and directional terms helps convey the changes clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over various structures such as subordinate clauses ('While some of those areas remained...', 'The castle which was previously disused...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, though a few minor grammatical and punctuation errors persist, such as omitting an article ('making marina now closer') and a slight comma error before defining relative clauses. However, these errors do not impede communication and the grammatical control is generally sound.

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

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