Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-07

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 plans demonstrate a harbour in 2000 and how it has been changed today. Overall, it is clear that the area has undergone considerable development, with several cafes and shops being introduced and castle being replaced by hotel and dock also has been doubled.

In 2000, the porth harbour was characterised by single showers and toilets nearby small car park and marina (private yachts), single dock and public beach on the north side of the harbour. Lifeboat had been situated in the centre connected with road and disused castle and public beach which were located in the soth-east direction.

Meanwhile, the harbour has been added new facilities nowadays such cafes and shops nearby lifeboat. Disused castle has been converted into hotel along with private beach. Fishing boats and marina(private yachts) has been iterchanged in their place and one new dock has also been constructed. Overall, the porth harbour has become more accessible and developed compared to its earlier plan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall changes: the harbour is developed, a hotel replaces the disused castle, and cafés and shops are added. You also report the exchange of the fishing-boat and marina areas. These are relevant features and give the reader a general sense of the transformation. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the dock was not simply “doubled”; it gained an additional jetty and has two boats berthed, and the hotel’s beach is on the south side of the road rather than clearly in the south-east. The account of the 2000 layout also omits the northern public beach and gives little detail about the two car parks and facilities. A more precise overview and fuller comparison of the key locations would strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview, a paragraph about the earlier plan, and a final paragraph describing current changes. Time markers such as “In 2000” and “Meanwhile” help distinguish the two maps, and the main points are generally presented in a sensible order. However, the final paragraph combines several changes without clearly showing how they relate spatially, while the overview repeats the idea that the harbour is developed. Some references, including “their place” and “one new dock,” are not sufficiently clear. Organise the comparison around specific areas or features, and use linking phrases to show what moved, what was added, and what was replaced.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “harbour,” “marina,” “dock,” “lifeboat,” and “converted,” and attempt more descriptive phrases such as “considerable development.” This gives you an adequate range for the task. However, several word choices and collocations are imprecise: “dock has been doubled” does not accurately describe the added jetty, and “the harbour has been added new facilities” is not a natural construction. There are also spelling errors in “soth-east” and “iterchanged,” and “single showers and toilets” is unclear. Choose precise terms for map changes and check spelling; for example, describe facilities as being “added” and areas as “exchanged” or “relocated.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the overview clause beginning “Overall, it is clear that…” and the sentence describing the castle being converted into a hotel. The main meaning is usually understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. Examples include “the harbour has been added new facilities,” where the verb pattern is incorrect, and “Fishing boats and marina … has been iterchanged,” where the subject–verb agreement and passive construction need correction. Articles and sentence structure also need attention in “castle being replaced by hotel” and “Lifeboat had been situated.” Use consistent present or past forms when comparing the maps, and practise accurate passive structures such as “The castle was replaced by a hotel.”

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