Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 maps illustrate a harbour in 2000 and how it looks in present times.

Overall, some cafes and shops were constructed near the road, while the location of the marina and fishing boats was interconverted. In addition, the disused castle was converted to a hotel and private beach allocated to the hotel as a private beach.

To begin with, in 2000, a castle was situated on the south-east side of the harbour. Showers and toilets and a car park were located to the west of the harbour, while another car park was situated near the road. Moreover, the marina and some fishing boats were located above and below on the left-hand side of the harbour.

Moving on, in recent times, the castle was replaced by a hotel, and the public beach was converted into a private beach for hotel. Some cafes and shops were also constructed near the lifeboat, while passenger ferries and dock remained at the same place. Furthermore, some more showers and toilets were built near the car park, which was connected to the road previously. The positions of the marina and fishing boats was also swapped.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You provide a relevant overview of the main changes, including the relocation of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafés and shops, and the replacement of the castle by a hotel. These points match the maps and show that you have identified the broad transformation. However, some details are incomplete or unclear: for example, you say the marina and fishing boats were on the “left-hand side,” which does not clearly describe their positions, and you do not mention that the northern public beach remains or that the dock gains an additional jetty and boats. The statement that the public beach was converted into a private beach also needs to specify the southern beach; the north-eastern public beach remains. More precise comparisons would make the summary more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs describing the earlier and current layouts. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with” and “Moving on” help signal the shift between maps. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes loose, and several details are grouped without a clear spatial order. For instance, the description of the marina and fishing boats as “above and below on the left-hand side” is difficult to follow, while “Furthermore” introduces a feature without clarifying its exact relationship to the other changes. Some linking is also mechanical. Organising each map description consistently from north to south, and using clearer references to locations, would improve cohesion and make comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing changes, including “constructed,” “replaced,” “located,” and “swapped.” These choices generally communicate the main developments, and the map-related terms are relevant. Some word choices and collocations are imprecise, however. “Interconverted” is not a natural way to describe the marina and fishing boats changing places; “exchanged positions” would be clearer. “Private beach allocated to the hotel as a private beach” repeats the same idea, and “converted into a private beach” overstates the change when the southern beach is simply designated for hotel use. “Present times” is also less natural than “today” or “at present.” More precise, natural phrasing would strengthen the description without requiring more complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses linked with “while” and “which,” and most of the meaning remains clear. Some grammatical errors are present. In “the positions of the marina and fishing boats was also swapped,” the plural subject requires “were”; similarly, “the public beach was converted into a private beach for hotel” needs an article before “hotel.” The overview’s phrase “private beach allocated to the hotel as a private beach” is also structurally awkward and repetitive. There is a stray extra space in “left-hand side of the harbour.” Aim to check subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence construction, and use a wider range of accurately controlled complex sentences.

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