Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-15

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 diagram illustrates the two different plans for porth harbour, from the year 2000 and the present day.

Overall, certain features still reamined unchanged such as public beach next to the dock, the main road, the lifeboat, and the passenger ferries. In addition, the northern showers and toilets, along with car park remain unaltered.

To begin with, the landscape and design of the harbour remain largely the same, with few new additions, site reuses, and some alterations. A new dock has been constructed in present day, along with a new road leading to the current hotel, which was previously an abandoned castle in 2000. The marina and the parking area has swapped its positions as of now.

On the other hand, the public beach near the abandoned castle has converted into a private beach dedicated to hotel. Furthermore, cafes and shops have been developed around the lifeboat area in the present day, whereas one of the showers and toilets has been removed completely. The road to the second car park, which previously led to the lifeboat, has been redirected to face the main road.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall pattern—that several features remain while the harbour is redeveloped—and include relevant changes such as the marina’s relocation, the castle becoming a hotel, and the southern beach becoming private. This covers the task, but some details are inaccurate or unclear: the northern public beach is not next to the dock, and the passenger ferries are not shown as an unchanged feature today. The dock is modified with an additional jetty rather than newly constructed, and the road is not described as newly leading to the hotel. The claim that the road was redirected is also unsupported by the plans. To strengthen the summary, distinguish clearly between features that remain, move, or are replaced, and report the fishing boats’ relocation and the added facilities more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear four-paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details of the changes. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “Furthermore” help signal progression, and the reader can follow the broad comparison. However, some links are mechanical or do not express the relationship accurately: “On the other hand” introduces another set of changes rather than a contrast, while “In addition” groups features that are not all unchanged. The final sentence is difficult to connect to the map because the claimed road redirection is unclear. Improve cohesion by grouping details spatially or by type of change, and use references such as “the northern basin” and “the southern area” to make locations explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of map vocabulary, including “remained unchanged,” “swapped its positions,” “converted into,” and “developed,” which helps describe redevelopment. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “dedicated to hotel.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural for this task: “plans” is less suitable than “maps,” “new dock” misrepresents the change, and “site reuses” is awkward. Spelling errors such as “reamined” and “cafes” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise verbs that distinguish relocation from replacement, and use standard collocations for facilities and map features. These improvements would make the description more natural and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including the overview clause “such as public beach next to the dock” and the contrast structure “whereas one of the showers and toilets has been removed.” Most meanings remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. In the opening, the plural subject “two diagram” requires “illustrate”; “the marina and the parking area has” requires a plural verb; and “dedicated to hotel” needs an article. Tense and aspect are also inconsistent in “the landscape … remain” and “has been constructed in present day.” Work on subject–verb agreement, articles, and consistent present/past forms when comparing the two maps. More accurate control of these patterns would make the varied sentence structures clearer.

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