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 provided display the layout of Porth Harbour in 2000 and today. The most noticeable change is observable in the southwest region of the site.

According to the maps, in 2000, the northern part of the site was primarily occupied by a dock for passenger ferries, a public beach, and a marina for private yachts. Just below the marina, laid a space allotted to fishing boats. Now, a second dock has been introduced, and the parking areas for yachts and fishng boats, have exchanged their locations.

Moving further south, a commercial centre, with cafes and shops, has been constructed. Along the road to the west, an unused castle has been renovated to a hotel, which owns a private beach, formerly a public beach, that is accessible to all guests. Moreover, just next to the new marina, showers and toilets have been built.

To summarise, over the years, Porth Harbour underwent significant transformations with the redevelopment of the area to a tourist attraction than just a port. However, some essential facilities like lifeboats, car parking spaces and public beach, remained the same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making clear comparisons between the two maps. The response provides a clear overview in the introductory and concluding paragraphs, noting significant transformations such as the redevelopment of the harbour and the exchange of locations between the marina and fishing boats. Key spatial changes, including the renovation of the disused castle into a hotel with a private beach and the addition of cafes, shops, and a second dock, are accurately described. The details provided are grounded in the visual data, showing a strong ability to select and report relevant features without major omissions or misinterpretations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear progression from north to south across the maps. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with an introduction, body paragraphs detailing specific geographical changes, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as 'According to the maps', 'Moving further south', and 'To summarise' are employed to guide the reader through the text, although some linking could be slightly more integrated. Referencing throughout the description of locations and relocations remains mostly clear, contributing to a coherent overall arrangement that presents a well-structured overview of the spatial changes.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to describing map changes, using terms like 'redeveloped', 'renovated', 'relocated', and 'commercial centre'. There are occasional slight lexical inaccuracies, such as 'laid a space allotted' (instead of 'lay a space') and a minor spelling error in 'fishng' instead of 'fishing'. Less common vocabulary items are attempted with some awareness of style and collocation, and meaning is communicated clearly throughout the response without significant impediment from lexical slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and participial phrases successfully (e.g., 'the northern part of the site was primarily occupied by...', 'an unused castle has been renovated to a hotel, which owns...'). There are a few grammatical errors and punctuation slips, notably the awkward phrasing 'laid a space allotted' and unnecessary commas around 'have exchanged their locations'. However, the majority of sentences are grammatically sound, and the control of grammar and punctuation is sufficient to prevent any misunderstanding.

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