Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The plans compares the changes that took place at Porth Harbour between 2000 and the present day.

Overall, the Harbour underwent significant developments over the period with rearrangements in local infrastructure making the area suitable for private occupancies.

In 2000, most of the area is accessible to the public with public beaches on both northern and southern aspects of the place whereas now, the public usage is limited to the Northern part and the sourthern part is modernised and turned into a private beach. There were many changes that happened towards the south. Firstly, Fishing boats towards the west were replaced with Marina(private yachts) and showers and toilets were added near the car park. Secondly, Cafe's and shopes were a new addition to the place near the lifeboat. Finally, a Hotel was built in the place where there was a disused castle previously and a way was created to connect the hotel to the road. However, the car park, lifeboat area and the road connecting it remained the same.

Towards the north of the Harbour, an extra dock and passenger ferries were added recently to the previous plan. Additionally, marina was replaced with fishing boats for public use. the rest is kept same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response gives a clear overview of substantial redevelopment and identifies the key shift from public to private use in the south. It also reports several important changes, including the hotel replacing the disused castle, the marina and fishing boats switching locations, and new cafés and shops near the lifeboat station. These details are generally grounded in the plans. However, some descriptions are imprecise: the northern dock gained an additional jetty and has two boats, rather than an “extra dock,” and passenger ferries were already shown in 2000. The claim that the southern fishing boats were “towards the west” is also unclear. More precise comparisons of the northern and southern areas would make the account more consistently well-supported and avoid over-generalisation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised in a clear sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by changes in the south and then the north. This gives the reader a logical route through the two plans, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “Finally” help distinguish developments. The contrast between past and present is also generally easy to follow. At times, however, the sequencing becomes list-like, and some links between details are not fully clear—for example, “an extra dock and passenger ferries were added” combines two claims without accurately distinguishing what changed. The final sentence, “the rest is kept same,” is abrupt and vague. More precise referencing and a concluding comparison would make the progression smoother and cohesion less dependent on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The response uses an adequate range of vocabulary for describing map changes, including “underwent significant developments,” “rearrangements,” “replaced,” and “modernised.” These choices communicate the main transformations, and terms such as “private beach” and “disused castle” are relevant to the task. However, some word choices and collocations are imprecise or awkward: “private occupancies” does not naturally describe the area’s new use, while “a way was created” is vague for a road connection. There are also spelling and form errors, including “sourthern” and “shopes,” and “Cafe's” uses an incorrect apostrophe. Aim for precise map vocabulary and proofread spelling; for example, use “redeveloped for private use” and “a road was added to connect the hotel.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

There is a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a clear overview sentence and clauses introduced by “whereas,” “where,” and “with.” Most meanings remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. The opening has subject–verb disagreement in “The plans compares,” and the past-to-present account shifts inconsistently between tenses: “In 2000, most of the area is accessible” should use a past form, while “the rest is kept same” needs a more accurate passive construction. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention, as in “marina was replaced” and the lowercase “the rest” after a full stop. More consistent tense control and careful checking of agreement, articles, and punctuation would improve accuracy while preserving the range of structures.

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