Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-11

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 plan compares a layout of Porth Harbour in 2000 with its present.

Overall, there are several additions and rearrangements within the coastal area. Additionally, an area for the dock has been increased and the road has been extended at the moment.

The position of showers, toilets and a car park, which was in the north west side of the beach has remained the same at present. Furthermore, a car park in the south west side and an area for life boat, which is just below the passenger ferries is at the same location as the past. However, the positions of private yachts known as "Marina" and fishing boats have been rearranged at the moment. Private boats are now in the south west side of the layout above the road, while fishing boats are above them.

At present, there is an additional dock area created for the passenger ferries just beside the fishing boats. Cafes and shops are now established beside an area for life boat. There is a hotel in the place of a castle at the moment. Furthermore, public beach, which was present earlier just below the castle has now been transformed into a private beach specifically for the use of hotel. Additionally, the road has been extended at the moment to hotel, which was earlier just restricted to the lifeboat.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall changes—rearrangement of the marina and fishing boats, new hotel and private beach, and added facilities—and make relevant comparisons between the two plans. This gives the response a clear overview and addresses the task. Some details, however, are inaccurate or unclear: the road is not shown as extended in the present plan, and the southern beach was already south of the road rather than “just below the castle.” The lifeboat station is also not described as being below the passenger ferries. The dock change is better reported as an additional jetty and two berthed boats, rather than an additional dock area. More precise coverage of these features, while retaining the strong overview, would make the account more complete and reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised into an introduction, an overview and two detail sections, and it generally moves from broad changes to specific locations. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore” and “However” help signal relationships between points. The progression is not always fully clear, though: the second paragraph combines unchanged facilities with relocated boats, while the final paragraph moves between the dock, shops, hotel, beach and road without a consistent spatial route. Some references, including “them” in “fishing boats are above them,” are also unclear. Grouping the northern harbour changes together and then describing the southern area would create a more controlled progression, with more precise referencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of map vocabulary, including “rearranged,” “established,” “transformed” and “at the same location,” and the reader can generally understand the changes being described. However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural for this task: “an area for the dock has been increased” does not clearly express the added jetty, and “private boats” is less exact than “private yachts.” Phrases such as “at the moment” are repeated and are less appropriate than “today” or “in the present plan.” There are also spelling and form issues in “life boat” and “Cafes.” Aim for precise labels from the map and natural collocations when describing additions, replacements and relocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple statements and more complex structures, including relative clauses (“which was in the north west side…”) and contrast clauses (“However, the positions… have been rearranged”). Most meanings remain understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions persist. For example, “a layout … with its present” needs a clearer comparison, and “which was present earlier just below the castle has now been transformed” has an unclear relative-clause reference. Tense choices also shift between past and present in descriptions of the plans. Use the past simple for the 2000 map and the present simple for today, and check articles and clause structure—for instance, “the harbour’s layout in 2000 and today’s layout.”

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