Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-17
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 plans illustrates the redesigning of a harbour from 2000 to present.
Overall, we can see that Harbour has markedly changed over the period, key modifications include addition of a port, another shower and towel area, new cafe shops and exchanged locations of Fishing boats and Marina are most significant.
In 2000, there was only one dock however in new layout we can see that there is now another dock for passenger ferries. In previous plan there was a car parking on the road leading to life boat area which is now moved from here to the main road and cafe and shops are now adjacent to the lifeboat.
The castle is now transformed into a hotel to facilitate visitors. Additionally, locations of Fishing boat areas and Marina has been swapped for the tourist's convenience. Moreover, number of showers and toilets are now doubled to provide services to many at the same time.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully identifies the main overall changes and highlights several key features of the harbour between 2000 and the present. The overview clearly notes the major transformations, such as the swapping of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of the hotel, and the introduction of new amenities like cafés and shops. However, there are a few inaccuracies in detail; for instance, the student mentions the 'addition of a port' and 'another dock for passenger ferries', which misinterprets the static dock and ferry label from the original plan. Additionally, the phrase 'shower and towel area' contains a slight error ('towel' instead of 'toilets'). Despite these minor misreadings, the task is addressed adequately, covering the most striking spatial changes. This performance aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors, as all parts of the task are addressed, though some details are slightly unclear or inaccurate.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The text is structured into a brief introduction, an overview paragraph, and a body paragraph detailing the specific changes. Cohesion is generally attempted using cohesive devices such as 'In 2000', 'however', 'Additionally', and 'Moreover'. However, the logical progression is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and grouping of ideas, such as moving back and forth between parking spaces, docks, and amenities within the same paragraph. Paragraphing is present, but the body of the text is somewhat cramped into a single, dense block following the overview. Referencing is mostly clear, though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. This reflects the characteristics of Band 6, where the response has a coherent overall arrangement and logical organisation, but cohesion can sometimes be faulty or repetitive.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a map comparison, employing terms like 'redesigning', 'modifications', 'adjacent', and 'transformed'. However, there are notable word-choice errors and unnatural collocations, such as 'shower and towel area' instead of 'showers and toilets', 'car parking' instead of 'car park', and 'exchanged locations' instead of 'swapped locations'. Spelling is generally correct, but vocabulary control lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. The range is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, but frequent minor lexical inaccuracies keep the score at Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Overall, we can see that Harbour has markedly changed...' and 'In previous plan there was a car parking on the road leading to life boat area which is now moved...'. There are several grammatical errors, including missing articles ('the harbour', 'the new layout', 'the lifeboat area'), a preposition error ('on the road' instead of 'along the road'), and tense inconsistencies or awkward passive constructions ('are now doubled to provide services'). While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur regularly throughout the text. This matches the Band 6 descriptor, where a mix of structures is used with some errors in grammar that rarely impede understanding.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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