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 plans illustrate the changes of the porth harbour between 2000 and today.

Overall, the structure of the harbour is slightly changed today than it was in 2000. The water area does not changed at all.

In 2000, the marina (private yachts) are was smaller than the fishing boats area. There was only one dock in the north side for perssenger ferries. In the west side there were two car park and just one showers and toilets. In the south east side there was a castle (disused) with a public beach. But it was not connected with the road. There was a road in south area which was connected with one car park and lifeboat area.

After some years, now the porth harbour has changed in some areas. the marina and fishing boars area has exchanged with each other. A new dock has developed beside the current fishing boats area. A new showers and toilets has been introduced with the south west car park area. In the middle of marina and lifeboat are there developed a cafes & shops. The castle is now a hotel which is now connected with the main road. And beside the hotel there was a public beach which is now a private beach for the hotel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response identifies the main transformation: the marina and fishing-boat areas exchange positions, and the disused castle becomes a hotel with a private beach. It also reports several supporting changes, including added facilities and development at the dock, so the key features are addressed and generally grounded in the plans. The overview, however, says the harbour has changed only “slightly” and that the water area “does not change at all,” which understates the substantial reorganisation of harbour uses. Some details are also imprecise: the southern beach is described as public in 2000, although the map labels the castle area and beach separately, and the new dock feature is an additional jetty rather than a newly developed dock. A more accurate overview and sharper location comparisons would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by a paragraph on 2000 and one on the present-day layout. This makes the comparison easy to follow, and phrases such as “In 2000” and “After some years” signal the time shift. The organisation is therefore coherent, but cohesion is not always smooth. The repeated use of “there was” and “there were” makes the description list-like, while references such as “it” in “But it was not connected with the road” are unclear. The final paragraph also moves rapidly between several locations without consistently linking them. Use more precise spatial transitions—such as “to the south of” or “along the harbour’s northern edge”—and connect related changes to create a more fluent progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant map vocabulary, including “marina,” “fishing boats,” “dock,” “lifeboat,” and “private beach,” and it attempts to describe change with phrases such as “exchanged with each other.” However, the range and precision are limited, and several noticeable spelling or word-choice errors reduce polish: “perssenger,” “boars,” and “developed” for a facility being added. Some phrases are also unnatural, including “the structure of the harbour is slightly changed” and “in the middle of marina and lifeboat.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding the main changes, but they make the account less precise. Build a bank of accurate map-description collocations and check spelling, especially for key labels copied from the plan.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a few different sentence patterns, including a relative clause in “the castle which is now connected with the main road,” and the time-based paragraph structure supports the comparison. However, control is inconsistent, with frequent errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. Examples include “The water area does not changed,” “the marina … are was smaller,” and “two car park.” The sentence “In the middle of marina and lifeboat are there developed a cafes & shops” is particularly difficult to process because its word order and verb form are faulty. Most sentences rely on simple “there was” constructions, so the range remains limited. Practise accurate past and present forms, singular/plural agreement, and straightforward location sentences before adding more complex structures.

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