Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-06

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 illustrations show Porth Harbour in 2000 and today. In 2000, Porth Harbour had one dock and besides that was a public beach but now today's harbour consists of two docks for ferries, and still they have public beach besides them. Moreover, Harbour in 2000 had main road on west side which led to car park, shower and tiolets and marina which was an area for private yatchs. Also, the main road led to car parking for fishing boats and also for lifeboats. There was also a public beach and a castle that was disused.

In today's Harbour, the major differences are in the position of fishing boats and the marina, and also there are cafes and shops present besides lifeboats. Additionally, there is a hotel in the place of the castle and a private beach instead of a public one for the hotel. Both designs have their own good points but toady's Porth Harbour is much more practical and advanced than 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by presenting an overview of Porth Harbour in 2000 and today, noting main features and making relevant comparisons. For instance, you correctly highlight the shifts in the positions of fishing boats and the marina, as well as the addition of cafes, shops, and a hotel. However, certain aspects remain under-developed or imprecise, such as your description of the docks and beaches. Additionally, the final sentence includes a personal evaluation ('Both designs have their own good points...'), which is unnecessary in an Academic Task 1 response where an objective summary of visual data is required. To reach a higher level, ensure all key spatial transformations are described with greater precision and maintain a purely objective, analytical tone throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into two body paragraphs, moving logically from the past layout to present changes. Progression is generally maintained through time markers such as 'In 2000' and 'In today's Harbour'. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or somewhat repetitive in structure, and referencing can feel abrupt. For example, transition phrases between sentences rely heavily on basic additive connectors like 'Also' and 'Moreover'. To achieve a higher band score, you should employ a wider and more sophisticated variety of cohesive devices and ensure that referencing links between sentences flow more smoothly without feeling disjointed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your lexical range is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic comparisons using terms such as 'illustrations', 'harbour', 'marina', and 'facilities'. You make some successful attempts at less common vocabulary, but there are noticeable spelling errors ('tiolets' for toilets, 'yatchs' for yachts, 'toady's' for today's) and occasional awkward word choices or collocations. Communication is not impeded by these inaccuracies, but they prevent the writing from achieving greater precision. To move up to the next band, you should expand your range of vocabulary related to spatial changes and urban development, pay closer attention to spelling accuracy, and ensure your word choices consistently sound natural and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, successfully using past and present tenses to contrast the two time periods, such as 'Porth Harbour had one dock...' and 'the major differences are in the position...'. There are, however, some noticeable errors in grammar, articles, and pluralisation, such as dropping necessary articles ('had main road on west side', 'led to car park') and minor structural slips. These errors rarely impede communication and your meaning remains clear throughout. To attain a higher band, incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical structures with a higher proportion of error-free sentences, and pay closer attention to article usage and prepositional patterns.

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

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