Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-23

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 diagrams illustrate the main change that have occured at porth Harbour between the year 2000 and the present day.

Overall, Porth Harbour has been significantly developed to focus on tourism and commercial activites. While key features such as the northern public beach and the north-western car park remain unchanged, several new facilities have been added, and existing structures have been converted or relocated.

In the western section of the harbour, the marina for private yachts and mooring area for fishing boats have swapped places. The fishing boats and are now situated in the north, while private yachts occupy the south side. Additionally, the southern car park now features dedicated for showers and toilets. Opposite the lifeboat station along the road,a new row of cafes and shops has been built.

In the eastern and northern side, a second dock has been added to handle more passenger ferries. In the south-east area, the disused castel has been converted into a hotel, and the neighbouring public beach is now a private for the hotel guests. In contrast, the main road, northern public beach, and northern car park remain completely unchanged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by identifying and reporting the main changes between the two maps of Porth Harbour. A clear overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting the shift toward tourism and commercial activities alongside key transformations. The student accurately reports significant details, such as the swapping of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafes and shops, and the conversion of the disused castle into a hotel with an adjacent private beach. Minor typos such as 'castel' do not prevent the student from covering all key spatial transformations effectively. The content is well-grounded in the visual data, and the comparisons are relevant throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear overarching progression, moving smoothly from an introduction and overview to specific regional changes in the western, eastern, and northern sections. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different geographic areas of the harbour. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well, as seen through markers like 'In the western section', 'Additionally', and 'In contrast'. Although referencing is occasionally slightly loose (such as 'and are now situated'), the logical flow and clear progression ensure the text is easy to follow from start to finish.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to describing map transformations, using terms like 'converted', 'relocated', 'facilities', and 'adjacent'. There are occasional lexical and spelling errors, such as 'change that have occured' (agreement slip) and 'castel', as well as a slightly awkward phrase 'private for the hotel guests' (missing noun). However, the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey precise spatial changes and functional conversions, allowing the response to successfully communicate meaning without hindrance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and prepositional phrases effectively (e.g., 'While key features such as... remain unchanged, several new facilities have been added'). There are a few noticeable grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement ('change that have occured') and missing words ('private for the hotel guests'). Nevertheless, the majority of complex sentences are well-controlled, punctuation is generally sound, and these minor errors do not impede communication, earning a solid band 6.5.

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