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 two sketches show the Porth Harbour plan as it was in 2000 and then revamped as of today.

Both plans still have several things in common and at the same place such as Main road entrance to car park with adjacent showers & toilets, conncetion road between the main road and the lifeboat and the public beach entrance near the position of passenger ferries.

The latest plan include changes with one more car parking and adjacent showers & toilets for additional usage, position of fishing boats and marina (private yachts) exchanged, cafe & shops on the left side of lifeboat containers. Moreover, the disused castle got replaced with Hotel and the public beach next to it was turned into private beach for the hotel members. The connection road leading to lifeboat also got connected to the hotel. One additional dock was constructed next to the old one which allowed more space for the passenger ferries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation clearly: the marina and fishing-boat areas switch places, a hotel replaces the disused castle, and the beach beside it becomes private. You also note the added facilities and changes to the dock, so the response covers the key before-and-after features. The opening, however, does not give a clear overall summary of how the harbour has been redeveloped, and some details are imprecise: the new car park and showers are not simply “for additional usage,” and the extra jetty is described as an additional dock. The claim that the public beach near the passenger ferries is an entrance is also unclear. A more explicit overview and more exact descriptions of locations and structures would make the account more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a sensible overall sequence: it introduces the two plans, mentions features that remain, and then describes the changes. Linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “The latest plan” help signal the shift to new developments, and the main comparisons are generally easy to follow. However, the information is compressed into two long paragraphs, with several separate changes crowded into the final sentence. The first paragraph also groups features together without clearly distinguishing which remain unchanged and where they are located. Use a clearer overview paragraph followed by organised comparisons of the northern and southern areas, and divide long lists into shorter sentences. This would make the progression more controlled and reduce the occasional ambiguity in how features relate to one another.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “revamped,” “adjacent,” “replaced,” and “position,” and the reader can understand most of the changes. There is some attempt to vary wording rather than repeat “changed.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a plan: “one more car parking” should refer to an additional car park, “cafe & shops” is better expressed as “cafés and shops,” and “hotel members” does not accurately convey access for hotel guests. “Dock” is also used for what the map shows as an additional jetty. There are spelling and form slips, including “conncetion” and “cafe.” Aim for precise map terms and natural collocations, especially when naming facilities and describing access or construction.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which allowed more space” and a passive construction in “got replaced.” Most of the intended meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions reduce accuracy. For example, “The latest plan include changes” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “Both plans still have several things in common and at the same place” is not a complete, well-formed comparison. The phrase “Main road entrance to car park” also lacks articles and a clear grammatical relationship between the features. Use complete sentences with accurate articles and agreement, and check that each comparison has a clear subject and verb. More consistently controlled complex sentences would strengthen the description.

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