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 two diagrams illustrate how Porth Harbour has changed over the years, it compares the year 2000 and the present year.

In the year 2000, there were two car parks and one showers and toilets area but in the present there was an addition of showers and toilets with the southern car park resulting in 2 car parks and 2 washrooms and they main road connectivity was also altered to avoid traffic.

Previously, the marina of the private yachts was situated in the top side and the fishing boats were right below it but now in the present scenario the position of these two has interchanged now the fishing boats are to the north of the marina.

Near the entrance of the public beach, one more docking area was added to accomodate more ferries.

In the southern section of the map, there were no cafes and shops in the year 2000 so those were added right next to the lifeboat area that was kept as it is from the year 2000.

The castle was transformed into a hotel and the public beach near it was converted into a private beach for the hotel guests and the road was constructed for better transportation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several major changes, including the exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas, the addition of cafés and shops, and the conversion of the castle into a hotel with a private beach. These are relevant and generally match the plans. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the extra jetty and two boats are described as “one more docking area” for ferries, whereas the plan shows an additional jetty and boats at the dock. The road was already present in 2000, so saying it “was constructed” misrepresents the change; the plans do not show it being built or altered to avoid traffic. Include a concise overview of the overall transformation and report the key changes more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a broadly sensible sequence, moving from facilities and boat areas to the harbour entrance and then the southern section. Time markers such as “In the year 2000,” “Previously,” and “now” help distinguish the two plans. However, the opening sentence joins two independent clauses with only a comma, and the long final sentence combines several changes without clear separation. Some references are also difficult to follow: “Near the entrance of the public beach” does not clearly identify the dock, while “those” in the cafés-and-shops sentence is imprecise. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and grouped details, and make each comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of topic vocabulary, including “marina,” “fishing boats,” “lifeboat,” and “private beach,” which allows the main changes to be understood. There are also attempts at more descriptive phrasing, such as “transformed into a hotel.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a plan: “top side” and “right below it” are informal, “washrooms” is less faithful to the map label, and “docking area” does not accurately describe the added jetty. “Present scenario” is also wordy. Choose precise directional language and map terminology, and avoid adding purposes such as accommodating more ferries unless the plan clearly supports them. Spelling errors such as “accomodate” should be corrected.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses linked with “but,” “resulting in,” and “that,” so there is some structural variety. Meaning is generally recoverable, but some errors affect accuracy. The opening uses a comma splice between “illustrate” and “it compares”; make this two sentences or join the clauses correctly. In “one showers and toilets area,” the number and noun phrase do not agree, and “there was an addition” sits awkwardly with the plural facilities that follow. Tense control also slips between past and present in “there was an addition” and “now in the present scenario.” Use consistent past forms for 2000 and present forms for today, and check agreement and sentence boundaries.

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