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 depict how Porth Harbour was in 2000, after reconstruction, how it appears today.

Overall, there were two big changes happen on harbour, docks and showers and toilets were expanded for public. However, the castle which was not in used was changed into the hotel and beach near it was open to public was now handle by hotel.

To begin with, in 2000, on the top north, there is a beach for public use which was kept unchanged, but the dock place near the beach was expanded for more the public ferries. Two car parking were at same spots but one parking path for in and out was connected to small road changed and was now connected to the main road. Marina for private yachts and fishing boats were interchanged with the location.

Furthermore, there was a side road from the main road which leads to the unused castle and another path to lifeboats, while lifeboat remained at the same location, the castle was replaced to the hotel for public use and a public beach near it was handed to the hotel for their own use. The cafes and shops were added next to lifeboats for public to enjoy view on the riverside.

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, especially the hotel replacing the disused castle, the hotel’s private beach, and the addition of cafés and shops. You also correctly note that the marina and fishing-boat areas exchanged locations and that the north-eastern public beach remained. These relevant comparisons address the task, and the overview gives the reader a general sense of change. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the dock was not simply expanded “for more the public ferries”; the plan shows an additional jetty and two boats berthed there. The claim that the beach was “open to public” before is also imprecise, since the southern beach is shown as public and later private. More precise reporting of the facilities and their locations would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with” and “Furthermore” help signal progression, and the reader can follow the broad contrast between the harbour in 2000 and today. This is a coherent overall arrangement. However, some links are awkward or unclear, particularly “while lifeboat remained at the same location, the castle was replaced,” where the relationship between the two changes is not well expressed. The first paragraph also combines several separate features in quick succession, and “two big changes happen on harbour” does not clearly preview the full range of developments. Grouping changes by area and using clearer references to the two plans would make cohesion more natural and precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “harbour,” “marina,” “private yachts,” “lifeboats,” and “replaced,” and you attempt to describe changes with phrases such as “interchanged with the location.” This gives you enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, but several choices are imprecise or unnatural and sometimes make the meaning harder to follow. For example, “two big changes happen on harbour” is vague, “parking path for in and out” does not clearly describe a car park or access road, and “handle by hotel” is not an appropriate way to describe ownership or control. “For public to enjoy view on the riverside” is also an awkward collocation. Aim for precise map vocabulary and natural phrases such as “was relocated,” “was converted into,” and “facilities were added.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “which,” “while,” and “but,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to process. For example, “there were two big changes happen” has an incorrect verb pattern, while “the castle which was not in used was changed into the hotel” contains problems with the passive construction and clause structure. Tense and agreement are also inconsistent in “there is a beach” within a description of 2000, and “two car parking were” has faulty agreement. Work on past-tense reporting, articles, plural forms, and building shorter, complete clauses before combining them. More accurate sentence control would make your comparisons much clearer.

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

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