Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-05
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 illustrate the changes that have taken place in port harbour between 2000 and at the present day .
Overall, the map has considerably developed, with several new facilities added. The main chages include the construction of shops, cafe and a hotel, while some existing areas, such as beach and marina, have also been changed.
To begin with, the northern part of the harbor has seen some changes. In 2000, there was one dock, whereas an additional dock has been built at present. The marina, which was located in the northern part of harbour, has been relaced by fising boats, while the fising boats have been moved to the former marine area. In addition, another set of shower and toilets has been added. the passanger fery and lifeboat, however, remaind in the same locations.
Turning to the southern and eastern parts of the harbour, several new facilities hae been introduced. The disused castel has been converted into a hotel, and the public beach next to it has become a private beach beach for hotel guests. Furthermore, shops and cafes have been constructed near the lifeboat. The public beach in the northern partof the harbour remained unchanged.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing a clear overview of the main changes in Porth Harbour between 2000 and the present day. Key features, such as the additions of the hotel, shops, and cafes, along with the shifting of the marina and fishing boats, are highlighted and compared effectively. However, certain details are slightly underdeveloped or contain minor inaccuracies in positioning, such as the description of the docks and northern facilities. This balanced coverage, featuring a clear overview and relevant comparisons, reflects a solid performance that covers all parts of the prompt while leaving room for greater precision and fully extended development in every section.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs, which are separated into northern developments and southern/eastern changes. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'In addition', and 'Turning to' are used to guide the reader through the comparisons. Nevertheless, cohesion is at times mechanical, and referencing occasionally falters, such as minor lapses in paragraph transitions and repetitive sentence openings. Paragraphing is used appropriately to structure the response, demonstrating clear organizational control that meets the requirements for a coherent, well-structured task.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms like 'harbour', 'marina', 'facilities', and 'ferry'. Attempts are made to use less common vocabulary, but these are accompanied by noticeable spelling errors, such as 'fising' instead of fishing, 'marine' instead of marina, 'castel' instead of castle, and 'fery' instead of ferry, alongside word-choice slips like 'plan' instead of plans and 'passanger'. While these inaccuracies do not seriously impede communication, they restrict the lexical score by demonstrating inconsistent control over word forms and spelling when attempting more ambitious or precise lexical items.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures such as relative clauses ('the marina, which was located...') and passive voice constructions ('has been converted'). There are several grammatical errors present, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The two plan illustrate'), missing articles ('a beach beach', 'northern partof'), and minor punctuation or capitalization oversights. Despite these errors in grammar and punctuation, they rarely impede communication, and the overall sentence control is sufficient to convey the intended comparisons between the two visual plans.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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