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 picture displays a map of a harbour in 2000, and the developments it went through till now.

Overall, the harbour has undergone some major changes including the addition of another dock, cafe and shops near public beach and lifeboat respectively. Moreover, the locations of private yachts and fishing boats have been switched. On the other hand, the beach near the hotel is privatized followed by the replacement of disused castle with hotel.

In 2000, there was only one dock for passenger ferries; however, another dock has been created now. Additionally, the disused castle at the bottom-right has been converted into a hotel, followed by the privatization of beach which is adjacent to the hotel. Moreover, cafes and shops has been introduced near to the lifeboat.

On the other hand, the position for marina and the fishing boats has been interchanged. Furthermore, showers and toilets have been added near car park. Whereas, the top-left corner remains unchanges as it contains showers and toilets above the car park.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by identifying and reporting the main developments shown in the two maps of Porth Harbour. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting key shifts such as the swapping of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of the hotel, and new retail facilities. Comparisons and changes are made clear throughout the text, such as noting the conversion of the disused castle into a hotel and the introduction of a second dock. However, a few minor details are slightly inaccurate or confusingly stated, such as mentioning the addition of another dock in the body paragraphs when the visual data shows an additional jetty and reconfiguration of berths rather than an entirely new dock basin. To reach a higher band, the response would need a more precise description of spatial relationships without minor misinterpretations of the visual evidence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is arranged coherently, with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and subsequent body paragraphs detailing the temporal changes. Paragraphing is attempted, though the division of ideas could be structured more logically. Cohesive devices are used, such as "Overall", "In 2000", and "On the other hand", but some transitions feel mechanical or repetitive, particularly the repeated use of "On the other hand" and "Moreover". Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, which disrupts the natural flow of information between sentences. To improve cohesion, you should employ a wider variety of transitional phrases and ensure that each paragraph focuses tightly on a single, well-defined aspect of the visual data, allowing for smoother overall progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate and generally appropriate for the task, successfully conveying spatial changes and transformations over time with terms like "developments", "converted", "privatization", and "interchanged". There are some successful attempts at less common items, showing an awareness of topic-specific phrasing. However, minor lexical errors and awkward collocations occur, such as "beach near the hotel is privatized followed by the replacement" and the grammatical slip "cafes and shops has been introduced". Spelling is generally accurate, but word choices occasionally lack precision. To achieve a higher band, you should incorporate more sophisticated and flexible vocabulary, ensuring that lexical items collocate naturally and accurately describe map features.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating structures such as subordinate clauses and transitional modifiers (e.g., "While the top-left corner remains unchanged..."). There is adequate control over basic sentence patterns, and meaning is generally clear despite grammatical errors. However, frequent minor inaccuracies persist, including subject-verb agreement errors like "cafes and shops has been introduced", punctuation lapses, and occasional awkward phrasing such as "unchanges" instead of "unchanged". Complex structures tend to feature minor errors rather than being fully error-free. To elevate your grammar score, you should focus on eliminating basic agreement slips, carefully proofreading your verbs, and using a wider range of error-free complex sentence structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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