Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-30
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 two plan illustrates the plan how Harbour has changed between 2000 and the present day.
Overall, the harbour has underground developments, especially the intorducation of tourist facilites. The most significant changes are the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel and the addition of cafes, shops and shower and toilet facilities. Meanwhile, the road,car park, marina and publlic hotel beach have remained in place.
In 2000, car parks, a shower and toilet block and a yacht marina were located along the western side of the harbour. Fishing boats were positioned in the southern section, while a dock and passenger-ferry facilities were situated in the north. A lifeboat station stood near the southern end. On the eastern side, there was a disused castle and a public beach.
In recent time, the car park and the marina remain in thier locations. However, fishing boats have been moved to the northern part, near the dock. Another shower and toilet block has been added beside the lower car park. In addition, cafes and shops have been built near the lifeboat station.
The castle has been replaced by a hotel, and the beach is private for hotel guests. The public beach and passenger-ferry facilities remain unchanged.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons between the 2000 plan and the present-day layout. An effective overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting the major transformations such as the replacement of the castle with a hotel and the addition of tourist facilities like cafés, shops, and new shower blocks. Key spatial relocations—such as the swapping of the marina and fishing boat areas—are correctly identified and described. While the phrase 'publlic hotel beach' contains a minor slip regarding the exact labelling on the map, the overall content is accurate, well-selected, and fully satisfies the requirements of Academic Task 1.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression from introduction to overview, body paragraphs detailing the past, and finally the changes up to the present day. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different temporal periods and thematic areas. Cohesive devices are generally well managed, with appropriate markers such as 'Overall', 'In 2000', 'Meanwhile', and 'However' guiding the reader through the comparison. However, referencing in phrases like 'the beach is private for hotel guests' could be slightly smoother, and minor mechanical linking issues slightly limit the score to a solid band 6.5 or 7.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing maps and spatial changes, using terms such as 'replacement', 'relocated', 'positioned', and 'facilities'. There are attempts at less common lexical items, though some word choices and spellings are inaccurate, such as 'intorducation' for introduction, 'publlic' with a double letter error, and 'In recent time' instead of 'In recent times' or 'Nowadays'. Despite these minor slips, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication, matching the criteria for Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating prepositional phrases and passive structures such as 'have been built' and 'has been replaced'. There are some grammatical and mechanical errors present, notably subject-verb agreement issues in the opening sentence ('The two plan illustrates') and spelling mistakes ('intorducation', 'thier'). However, many sentences remain error-free, and the grammatical errors do not impede overall comprehension, placing this response comfortably in the Band 6 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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