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 following maps illustrate a comparison between the Porth Harbour's layout in 2000 and the current arrangement.

Overall, Porth Harbour previously consisted a Castle by the Southeast boundary, however it had been changed into a hotel with the public beach transforming into a private beach for the hotel residents. Notably there are other commercialisation signs such as additional cafė and shops by the road.

In the year 2000, the Harbour had a large water space with limited living arrangements for tourists. The current map demonstrates that the Harbour has been significantly developed for tourism and commercialisation purposes. Notably, the new developments were doubling the dock to facilitate twice as many people than before, an addition of shops by the South road has also been considered, with showers and toilets also being doubled. A massive enhancement was converting the Castle into a Hotel that also is connected with a private beach. Considering a hotel consequently increases the overall funding of the Harbour as it can accommodate more tourists, generating more revenue. Lastly, the marina and the fishing boat moorings have switched places, with the marina now located further south.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of Porth Harbour in 2000 and today, and makes relevant comparisons such as the relocation of the marina and fishing boats. The overview effectively highlights the major transformation from a quiet fishing and disused castle site into a commercially developed tourist area with a hotel and private beach. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or border on speculation, such as stating that a hotel 'consequently increases the overall funding of the Harbour,' which goes beyond simply reporting visual data. To reach the next level, all reported points should remain strictly factual and objectively described without over-extending into general economic commentary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement, with a clear separation between the introductory overview and the body details describing the changes. Paragraphing is used to structure the ideas logically. However, cohesion at times feels a bit mechanical or abrupt, particularly in how sentences within the paragraphs link together. Referencing is occasionally slightly unclear, such as the transition into details about the dock and shops. To improve cohesion further, you could use a wider variety of cohesive devices more smoothly to guide the reader through spatial comparisons between the two maps, ensuring a more seamless flow from one feature to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

An adequate range of vocabulary is deployed for the task, successfully attempting less common terms such as 'commercialisation', 'enhancement', and 'moorings'. There are, however, some slight inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing, such as 'previously consisted a Castle' (which lacks the preposition 'of') and 'commercialisation signs'. Spelling is generally accurate, and occasional lexical slips do not impede overall communication. To achieve a higher band, you should aim for more precise collocations and a greater variety of sophisticated vocabulary used with natural control, avoiding slight awkwardness in noun-verb pairings.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like relative clauses and participial phrases reasonably well (e.g., 'transforming into a private beach', 'with the marina now located further south'). There are some noticeable errors in grammar and punctuation, such as tense inconsistency ('however it had been changed' instead of 'has been changed') and minor structural awkwardness in phrases like 'notably the new developments were doubling the dock'. Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication. A higher band would require a greater proportion of error-free complex sentences and more consistent control over verb tense shifts when comparing past and present layouts.

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