Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagrams below illustrate the comparison of the layout of the Porth harbour in 2000 and at present.

Overall, the infrastructure underwent significant modernization. The location of the car parking areas has not altered. Subsequently, one of the public beaches was modified into the isolated one. Another dock was introduced for more ferries. A substantial number of amenities have been added today.

In 2000, there was a castel along the south side, but it has been converted into a hotel. The whereabouts of the personal and public boats have been swapped at present. A plethora of cafes and shops have been introduced adajcent to the lifeboat for tourists. In the past, there were only two docks; however, now another one has been constructed for more convenience.

A number of restrooms have been introduced adjacent to the parking lots. The beach that was along the south was transformed into a private one for the hotel residents.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers the main features of the maps, successfully noting key changes such as the conversion of the disused castle into a hotel, the swapping of locations between the fishing boats and the private marina, and the addition of cafés, shops, and a private beach. An overview is present at the beginning of the second paragraph, although it is slightly fragmented. While the student captures most of the significant transformations, some descriptions are vague, such as referring to 'another dock' when the plans actually show an extra jetty and berthed boats, and 'whereabouts of the personal and public boats have been swapped' (which incorrectly conflates the watercraft types). Despite these minor misinterpretations, all parts of the task are addressed, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into paragraphs, starting with an introductory sentence, followed by an overview and body details. However, the paragraphing is somewhat disjointed; the text is split into short, choppy paragraphs rather than fully developed conceptual blocks. Cohesive devices are occasionally used mechanically or awkwardly, such as 'Subsequently' and 'In the past, there were only two docks; however, now another one has been constructed'. Referencing is also a bit imprecise in places, such as 'modify into the isolated one'. While the overall progression is clear enough to follow the sequence of changes, the lack of smooth transitions and over-reliance on simple sentence links keeps this criterion at a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'modernization', 'plethora', and 'converted'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and unnatural collocations. For instance, 'isolated one' is imprecise for a private beach, 'whereabouts' is inappropriately used for parked watercraft, and 'castel' contains a spelling error. Furthermore, the misspelling 'adajcent' detracts from the overall impression. While communication is not impeded and the vocabulary serves the basic function of describing the changes, the frequency of word-choice errors restricts the score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as passive forms ('has been converted into a hotel', 'has been constructed') and subordinate clauses. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are issues with article usage and prepositions, as seen in 'layout of the Porth harbour' (unnecessary definite article) and 'along the south'. Additionally, some verb tenses feel slightly awkward or inappropriate for map comparisons, such as 'The location of the car parking areas has not altered' instead of 'remained unchanged'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, allowing the response to achieve a Band 6.0.

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.