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 illustrated plans demonstrate a Harbour named Porrth Harour in 2000 and how it looks today.

Predominantely, the harbour has undergone a range of alterations with a few remained unchanged while others experienced a sharp shift.

Firstly, the disused castle has been substituted by Hotel at South-East, the fishing boats has now been replaced by Marina while Marina has been taken over by fishing boats. New showers and tiolets has been constructed right next to car park while a new addition of Cafes and shops can also been seen right next to the lifeboat, beneath Marina.

On the flip side, Lifeboat remains unchanged even today, next to cafes and shops. Likewise, on North side, the Public Beach and the Dock remains unchanged either. On the West, there was the Main Road which is still at the same place unchanged whereas, the road which was connecting to Lifeboat is now connecting the newly constructed hotel too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify several important changes accurately, including the exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas, the replacement of the disused castle by a hotel, and the addition of cafés and shops. You also note features that remain, such as the main road and north-eastern public beach. This gives the response a relevant overview, and the main comparisons are generally grounded in the plans. However, some details are unclear or incomplete: the new showers and toilets are not located clearly, and the dock’s extra jetty and second berthed boat are omitted. The claim that the road now connects to the hotel is also imprecise; the road remains, while the beach beyond it becomes private. More precise location descriptions and fuller coverage of key changes would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a broad overview, and two paragraphs describing changes and unchanged features. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “On the flip side,” and “Likewise” help signal relationships between points. However, the progression is not always easy to follow because several changes are compressed into one long sentence, and the relationship between the marina, fishing boats, showers, and car parks is not clearly mapped. “On the flip side” is also an awkward contrast marker for listing features that remain unchanged. Use clearer grouping—such as describing the northern area before the southern area—and refer to locations consistently so readers can follow the comparison without rereading.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some suitable map-report vocabulary, including “substituted,” “remains unchanged,” and “connecting,” and you attempt a range of expressions rather than relying only on basic words. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “Porrth Harour,” “Predominantely,” and “tiolets” are noticeable, while “sharp shift” is not a natural description of changes to a harbour plan. “Taken over by” is also less precise than language describing a feature being replaced or relocated. In addition, “on the flip side” is conversational for an academic report. Aim for accurate, neutral terms such as “replaced,” “relocated,” and “added,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast between features that changed and those that remained. However, control is inconsistent, and errors occur in several sentence patterns. For example, “the fishing boats has” has subject–verb disagreement, while “a new addition … can also been seen” uses an incorrect verb form. Articles are missing in “substituted by Hotel,” and the clause beginning “whereas” is punctuated awkwardly. The final sentence also makes the connection between the road and hotel difficult to interpret. Practise checking agreement, articles, and auxiliary verbs, and divide sentences that contain several separate map details into clearer units.

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