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 maps show the comparison that how was the Porth harbour in 2000 and how has it changed now.
Overall, it can be clearly seen that many changes have been developed in the port. Castle, that was disused, is replaced with a new building, showers and toilets are constructed. Cafe and shops are available for passengers. Private beach is also introduced removing the public beach.
On the one hand, in 2000 in the south east, there was an abandoned castle. Public beach was built near the castle. There were only two ferries in the dock in the north. Two car parks and shower and toilets were in the east. Marina was in the north west and fishing boats were in the south east.
On the other hand, today showers and toilets are made in the north west between two adjacent car parks. Marina has been shifted in the southwest whereas fishing boats are placed in the north west. In the south of the harbour, cafes and shops are constructed beside the life boats area. On more passenger ferry is added in the dock. Disused castle in the south east is replaced with a hotel.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The response addresses all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of Porth Harbour in 2000 and today, successfully highlighting key transformations such as the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel and the shifting locations of the marina and fishing boats. An overview is provided, satisfying the requirement to summarize the main trends. However, some parts of the response are slightly under-developed or contain minor inaccuracies in spatial reporting—for instance, stating that fishing boats were in the south east in 2000 when they occupied the central harbor basin. The comparison is generally clear, but extending the description of specific layout changes would help push the score higher.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The text exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs contrasting the two time periods. Progression is generally logical, guided by transition signals such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or slightly faulty, and referencing is not always precise, such as abrupt shifts between features without sufficient cohesive links. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but more fluid transitions between sentences would elevate the organizational quality.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting less common lexical items related to maps and transformations, such as 'disused', 'constructed', and 'shifted'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocations, such as 'many changes have been developed' instead of 'made' or 'implemented', and minor prepositional or collocation slips. Spelling and word-choice errors do not impede communication, placing the vocabulary firmly in the satisfactory category, though a wider variety of precise geographical terms is needed for a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and passive constructions such as 'is replaced with a new building' and 'cafes and shops are constructed'. There are several grammatical errors present, particularly with articles ('the Porth harbour', 'Public beach'), prepositions ('shifted in the southwest'), and awkward phrasing like 'comparison that how was the Porth harbour'. While these errors do not impede communication, they recur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher level of grammatical control.
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