Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The maps below illustrate the layout of Porth Habour in 2000 and after changes have been implemented until now.

Overall, the harbour was transformed into an exclusive tourist enclosure from a working fishing harbour by contructing visitor-friendly facilities and leisure amedities. In addition, the road infrastructure has been modified, including a new path way.

More precisely, a disused castle right next to the shore was turned into a hotel and a public beach located next to it now belongs to it, making the beach private. Places of fishing boats and marina were switched to locate private yachts closer to the hotel. Cafes and shops were included on the left of the lifeboats. Additional showers and toilets were installed in car parkings. Moreover, number of docks were increased as well.

Changes regarding road infrastructure are present as well. Pathway leading to hotel was contructed making it more convenient way of transportation for hotel bookers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation from a working harbour to a more visitor-oriented site, and your overview mentions new leisure facilities and road changes. Several key comparisons are also accurate: the castle becomes a hotel, the southern beach becomes private, and the marina and fishing-boat areas exchange locations. This covers the task’s central changes. However, some details are unclear or imprecise: “additional showers and toilets were installed in car parkings” does not explain that a second facilities-and-car-park block was added, and “number of docks were increased” misrepresents the change, which is an additional jetty and a second berthed boat. The road/pathway change is also asserted without a clear description of its location. More precise reporting of these features would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, a broad overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. Sequencing is generally understandable, and phrases such as “Overall,” “More precisely,” and “Moreover” help signal the stages of the account. This gives the reader a coherent progression. However, the final paragraph repeats the road-infrastructure point from the overview without adding much detail, while several changes are compressed into a list in the middle paragraph. Connections between the features could be clearer—for example, explain where the marina moved in relation to the former fishing-boat area, then describe the new facilities and dock arrangement. Some references, such as “it” in “belongs to it,” are also not fully clear. More deliberate grouping and clearer referencing would strengthen the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “transformed,” “exclusive,” “leisure,” “private,” and “transportation,” and the reader can understand the main changes. There are also attempts at less common expressions, such as “visitor-friendly facilities.” However, several spelling and word-choice problems reduce precision: “Habour,” “contructing,” and “amedities” are misspelled, while “car parkings” and “number of docks” are unnatural or inaccurate choices. “Exclusive tourist enclosure” is also an awkward description of the harbour’s development. Aim for standard map vocabulary and accurate collocations, such as “tourist destination,” “car parks,” and “an additional jetty.” Proofreading spelling and choosing precise labels from the plan would improve control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the passive construction “was turned into a hotel” and the participial phrase “making the beach private.” Most sentences communicate their intended meaning, and the response is not limited to one basic pattern. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In “Places of fishing boats and marina were switched,” the plural subject and article use are problematic; “the fishing-boat area and the marina were switched” would be clearer. “Additional showers and toilets were installed in car parkings” also has an awkward grammatical pattern, and “Moreover, number of docks were increased” needs an article and more accurate construction. The final sentence, “making it more convenient way,” is missing an article before “more convenient way.” Review articles, number agreement, and sentence patterns while retaining your range.

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

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