Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-19
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 7.5)
The maps illustrate the structural transformation of Porth Harbour between the year 2000 and the present day.
Overall, the harbour has undergone significant redevelopment aimed at expanding commercial, leisure, and tourism facilities. While core elements like the lifeboat station and main road connections remain unchanged, the layout of maritime mooring zones and land-based infrastructure has been extensively reorganized.
Looking at the northern and central sections, an additional pier/dock has been constructed in the central water area to accommodate increased passenger ferry activity. In the western sector, the relative positions of the fishing boats and private yacht marina have been swapped: the marina has been relocated southward into a larger area, whereas the fishing boat docks now occupy the smaller northern inlet. To support this expanded marina, a second block containing showers and toilets was built adjacent to the southern car park.
Regarding the southern and eastern areas, commercial amenities have been introduced along the access road, where a row of cafés and shops now stands west of the retained lifeboat station. Further southeast, the disused castle has been replaced by a modern hotel. Consequently, the public beach located on the southern coastline has been reclassified as a private beach reserved specifically for hotel guests.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5
The student provides a fully developed response that successfully covers all parts of the task. The introduction accurately states the purpose of the maps, and the overall summary captures the primary developments well, noting the shift toward commercial, leisure, and tourism facilities. Key features are reported logically, such as the swapped positions of the fishing boats and the marina, the addition of the cafés and shops, and the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel and private beach. Comparisons between the two years are clearly made without unnecessary or irrelevant details, demonstrating a strong understanding of visual data representation.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5
The response exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information is grouped logically by location (northern, central, southern, and eastern sections), which makes the changes easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'While core elements', 'Regarding the southern and eastern areas', and 'Consequently' are used naturally and effectively to guide the reader through the comparison. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph serving a distinct and clear purpose in the overall structure of an Academic Task 1 report.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.5
The candidate demonstrates a wide and flexible lexical range suitable for an academic description of changes over time. Phrases such as 'structural transformation', 'redevelopment aimed at expanding', and 'reclassified as a private beach' show precise control over vocabulary. Less common lexical items and collocations are used skillfully (e.g., 'maritime mooring zones', 'land-based infrastructure', 'commercial amenities'), and there are virtually no word-choice or spelling errors, reflecting a very high standard of lexical resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5
The student displays a wide range of complex sentence structures used with a high degree of accuracy. Sentences such as 'While core elements like the lifeboat station and main road connections remain unchanged, the layout of maritime mooring zones and land-based infrastructure has been extensively reorganized' demonstrate excellent control over subordinate clauses and varied structures. The majority of sentences are completely error-free, and punctuation is handled correctly throughout, meeting the high standards for this band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.