Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-08

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 diagram illustrates the latest plan of a harbour as well as how it looks in 2000. Overall the most noticable feature is the contruction of a hotel while expanding few important sites to the new plan. In addition, few cahnges are being made and there is an introduction to an entertainment spot.

Looking first at the most prominent change which is the conversion to a disused castle to a hotel. Not only the public beach just beside the castle is now restricted to only visitors of the hotel butalso a new cafes and shops are intriduced. By comparison to the dock area which was single in 2000, is now doubled so that there is an additional ferries can be parked.

Turning to the enterance side, there are also few significant changes in Porth Harbour. Firstly, the south car park is now connected to the main road and there is an additon of showers and toilets with this in southern side. Moreover, the fishing boats are shifted to the north side and marina private yatch are now just beside the cafes and shops area at the sothern side.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall changes—the hotel replacing the disused castle, the beach becoming private, new cafés and shops, and the relocation of fishing boats and the marina. These are relevant and show a sound grasp of the plans. The comparison of the dock is less accurate: it is not the dock itself that is “doubled”; the plan shows an additional jetty and two boats berthed on opposite sides. The statement that the southern car park is now connected to the main road is also not clearly supported by the map. Some important changes, such as the added southern showers and toilets and the north-east public beach remaining, could be reported more precisely. A clearer overview and more exact descriptions would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by two paragraphs describing changes. Phrases such as “Looking first” and “Turning to” help signal movement between points, and the reader can generally follow the comparison. However, the progression within paragraphs is sometimes awkward. For example, the sentence beginning “Not only…” combines the beach change with the new cafés and shops, while the dock comparison then shifts abruptly to another feature. Some linking expressions are also used mechanically or do not clearly express the relationship between ideas, as in “By comparison to the dock area.” Grouping changes by location or by type, and using clearer links between each comparison, would make the organisation more fluent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of task-appropriate vocabulary, including “conversion,” “restricted,” “additional,” and “shifted,” and terms such as “main road” and “public beach” help convey the map details. However, spelling errors are noticeable, including “noticable,” “contruction,” “cahnges,” “intriduced,” and “enterance.” Some word choices and collocations are also imprecise: “the dock area … was single” and “the dock … is now doubled” do not accurately describe the added jetty, while “entertainment spot” is vague for cafés and shops. These issues do not prevent the main meaning from being understood, but they limit precision. Check spelling carefully and choose specific, natural phrases for map features.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt complex structures, including “Not only … but also” and clauses introduced by “which,” alongside simpler statements. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors recur in agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “a new cafes and shops are intriduced” has a mismatch between the article and plural noun, while “By comparison to the dock area which was single in 2000, is now doubled” is an incomplete and confusing construction. “There is an additon … with this in southern side” also has an unclear grammatical relationship between clauses. Use shorter, complete sentences when describing each change, and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and clause structure before combining ideas.

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