Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-13

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 given maps compare Porth Harbour in 2000 and the recent.

Overall, a glance at the maps indicate that there have been many new developments in the harbour which include hotels, cafes, shops, docks and an addition of showers with toilets. There has also been replacements in the locations of older structures like fishing boats deck and marina.

To commence with, the map of the harbour in 2000 has an abandoned castle which has gone through a considerable development in the form of a hotel in the recent map. The former map had only one dock which is increased to two in the latter map.

The second park is also dislocated and attached to the main road. The fishing boats area is switched with marina in the second map. Moreover, the public beach is privatised and is owned by the hotel. The significant developments in the recent map are cafes and shops next to the marina.

In conclusion, the new map of the Porth Harbour is improved in terms of infrastructural developments and accomodation. It has increased facilities like docks,road access to hotel and cafes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall change—that the harbour has been redeveloped—and report several important comparisons, including the castle becoming a hotel, the fishing-boat and marina areas switching, and the southern beach becoming private. These relevant details show good coverage of the plans. However, some statements are inaccurate or unclear: the map shows one dock in both periods, with an additional jetty and two boats today, not a dock increasing to two. The “second park” is not clearly described as being relocated, and the cafés and shops are beside the lifeboat station, not the marina. The overview also misses other notable changes, such as the added facilities and the public beach in the north-east remaining unchanged. More precise, complete reporting would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by details and a concluding statement. The sequence from general change to individual features is broadly understandable, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion” help signal stages. However, the body does not group changes consistently by location or type, and some references are vague: “the former map,” “the latter map,” and “the second map” make comparisons less direct. The conclusion largely repeats the overview rather than adding a clear synthesis. Organise the details into a more deliberate comparison—for example, northern harbour changes and southern land-use changes—and use precise references to improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of task-related vocabulary, including “considerable development,” “privatised,” “infrastructural developments,” and “replacements,” and the reader can generally understand the intended changes. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing maps: “fishing boats deck” is unclear, “dislocated” suggests something has been displaced rather than simply moved, and “the recent” is not a natural way to refer to the present-day plan. “Improved” also adds an evaluative judgement rather than neutrally describing the changes. Spelling and word-form control need attention, as in “accomodation.” Use precise map vocabulary and natural collocations to make the comparisons clearer and more objective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and more complex forms, including the relative clause in “which include hotels” and the passive construction “is owned by the hotel.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “a glance at the maps indicate” has subject–verb disagreement, while “there have also been replacements” is awkwardly formed. The opening phrase “in 2000 and the recent” is incomplete in its comparison, and “The former map had only one dock which is increased to two” combines tenses and structures inaccurately. There are also punctuation and spacing slips, such as “docks,road.” Check agreement, tense consistency, and sentence construction when revising.

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