Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-28

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 maps illustrate the layout of Porth Harbour in 2000 and the present. Overall, the site has undergone several changes, especially in the southwest region of the harbour.

According to the diagrams, in 2000, the northern side of the harbour had a dock for passenger ferries, a marina to park private yachts, and a public beach. Now, a second dock is added, and private parking space has been replaced by fishing boats. It must be noted that the location of fishing boats and marina have been exchanged. On the left of the new marina, new showers and toilets have been developed.

Moving further south, the place has gone through significant expansion, wherein a commercial centre, with cafes and shops, has been introduced, alongside the road, leading towards a hotel, which was formerly an unused castle. Moreover, the public beach, in the southwest corner, has been redeveloped to a private beach, for the use of hotel guests.

To summarise, over the years, Porth Harbour has been converted to a tourist location, that was primarily a port.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The candidate has effectively addressed all parts of the task by summarizing the main features of Porth Harbour in 2000 and comparing them with the present layout. The overview provided in the introduction and conclusion successfully captures the broad transformation of the site from a functional port into a tourist-oriented location. Key changes, such as the exchange of the marina and fishing boats, the expansion of commercial facilities with cafes and shops, and the conversion of the disused castle into a hotel with a private beach, are clearly reported. The response is accurate in relation to the visual data provided, making relevant comparisons throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organized into a logical four-paragraph structure, including a clear introduction, two body paragraphs detailing specific spatial changes, and a concise concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader through the map data, such as "According to the diagrams", "Moving further south", and "To summarise". Paragraphing is appropriate, and referencing between sentences is generally clear, maintaining a coherent overall progression from the northern areas of the harbour down to the southern development.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The candidate demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing less common items and task-specific collocations such as "undergone several changes", "redeveloped", "commercial centre", and "tourist location". While some phrases are slightly informal or awkward—for example, "to park private yachts" instead of "for private yachts" or "the place has gone through" instead of "the area has experienced"—the vocabulary is flexible enough to allow precise descriptions of map features. Word choice and spelling are generally accurate and do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

A good mix of simple and complex sentence forms is utilized throughout the response. The writer successfully incorporates passive structures ("has been replaced", "have been developed", "was formerly an unused castle") and subordinate clauses which demonstrate grammatical control. There are a few minor awkwardness issues and prepositions errors, such as "redeveloped to a private beach" (instead of "redeveloped into") and "on the left of the new marina" (rather than "to the west of"). However, the majority of sentences are error-free and punctuation is handled well, ensuring meaning is never obscured.

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.