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 two provided pictures illustrate the plans of Porth Harbour of today and how that looked in 2000.

Overall, a new space has been added now for showers and toilets and a public beach is converted into private beach for the hotel as hotel has taken place of the disused castle.

To begin with, there were two car parkings at the site, however there was one place for freshen up in the past but now an additional place has been buil for that. Moreover, now Marina ( private yachts) have shifted to the southern side of the site hence moving fishing boats on the northern side. A further addition has been made now by constructing new cafes and shops in the center of lifeboat and private yachts.

Furhtermore, currently site's abandoned castle is converted to a hotel, as a result public beach is converted to private beach for the hotel use on the south east side of the site. Lastly, north east corner of the Porth Harbour is as same as this was in 2000 containing public beach on the top, dock and passenger ferries in the middle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify several major changes accurately: the marina and fishing-boat areas exchange locations, a hotel replaces the disused castle, and the southern beach becomes private. You also note the added showers and toilets and cafés and shops, so the response covers the main transformation and gives an overall summary. Some details, however, are unclear or inaccurate: the beach that becomes private is south of the road, not specifically on the south-east side, and the north-east public beach remains while the dock and ferry facilities are at the harbour entrance. The claim that the north-east corner contains the dock and ferries confuses these locations. To strengthen the response further, describe the dock’s additional jetty and the changes to facilities more precisely, while keeping the overview focused on the most significant developments.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an overview to details, and uses sequencing signals such as “To begin with,” “Moreover,” and “Lastly.” This gives the reader a general sense of progression. However, the body paragraphs group features somewhat loosely: the sentence about cafés and shops combines them with the lifeboat and marina in a way that makes their locations difficult to follow, and the final sentence joins several separate north-eastern features without clearly distinguishing them. Some linking phrases also feel mechanical rather than showing precise relationships. Organise the details by area or by type of change, and use clearer references such as “in the southern harbour basin” and “at the northern entrance” to make the comparisons easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “shifted,” “additional,” “converted,” and “disused,” and the reader can understand the main changes. However, several word choices and collocations are awkward or imprecise, such as “car parkings,” “one place for freshen up,” and “in the center of lifeboat and private yachts.” “Taken place of” is also not the natural expression for a replacement. Spelling slips such as “buil” and “Furhtermore” reduce accuracy. Aim for standard labels and precise location phrases—for example, “car parks,” “showers and toilets,” and “beside the lifeboat station.” This would make the description more natural and exact without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “however,” “hence,” and “as a result,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, agreement, and sentence construction. For example, “as hotel has taken place of the disused castle” needs a more accurate article and verb pattern, while “Marina … have shifted” has a singular subject with a plural verb. The opening phrase “how that looked in 2000” is also awkwardly formed, and the final sentence contains an unclear comparison (“as same as this was”). Practise describing changes with controlled past and present forms, such as “The marina was relocated…” and “The beach remains public.”

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