Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-16

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 maps show the changes in Porth Harbour from 2000 to the present day.

Overall, the major changes included the restoration of a abandoned castle into a hotelas well as conversion of the public beach in the southern region into a private beach for the hotel. Cafes, shops and new showers and toilets were introduced. One more dock was added. Few changes to the exisiting locations of fishing boats and the marina also took place.

In 2000, in the north-west region there was a car park connected to the main road with the facility of showers and toilet to the north of this car park. In the east side of this car park was the marina for private yachts and fishing boats were in the south of the marina. In the north east section, there was a dock for the passenger ferries and a public beach leading further in the north direction. In the south-west region there was another car park connected to the road leading to the lifeboat in the east direction.In the south-east region, there was a disused castle that had another public beach towards the south.

In present day, in the north west region car park and showers retained there position but, the position of the marina and fishing boats were interchanged. Another dock was added alongside with the exisiting dock in the north-east. The path towards the public beach remained the same. In the south-west direction the existing car park was connected to the main road and another facility of showers and toilets were added. In the south-east region the castle was converted into a hotel and the public beach near the hotel was upgraded to a private beach for the hotel guests. The road leading to the lifeboats was extended towards the hotel and new cafes and shops were introduced which were on the west side of the lifeboats.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response gives a clear overview of the main developments, including the hotel replacing the disused castle, the southern beach becoming private, and the marina and fishing-boat areas switching places. It also reports several supporting changes, such as the added facilities and dock. Most locations are described accurately, and the comparison between 2000 and today is sustained. Some details, however, are imprecise: the northern dock is described as being “for the passenger ferries,” whereas the map labels passenger ferries nearby, and the account of the road and lifeboat area does not clearly explain the new cafés and shops’ position along the road. The overview also says “one more dock,” although the plan shows an additional jetty at the dock. More precise reporting of these features would strengthen an otherwise well-covered summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised effectively into an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the two time periods. This gives the reader a clear chronological route through the maps, and phrases such as “In 2000” and “In present day” help signal the comparison. The overview also identifies the principal changes before the details. However, some linking and reference are mechanical or unclear: “In the east side of this car park” and “the path towards the public beach” do not identify the relevant features precisely. The long location-by-location sentences sometimes read like a list, and punctuation is inconsistent, particularly where sentences run together. More varied transitions and clearer references would make the progression smoother and more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses a reasonable range of map-related vocabulary, including “converted,” “interchanged,” “retained,” and “introduced,” and generally communicates the changes clearly. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, which limits precision: “restoration of a abandoned castle” suggests renovation rather than replacement, “upgraded to a private beach” is not a natural description of the change, and “leading further in the north direction” is cumbersome. There are also spelling and form errors, including “exisiting,” “hotelas,” and “Cafes.” Repeated reliance on “region,” “direction,” and “added” makes the vocabulary less flexible. Choose precise verbs for map changes and check spelling and natural collocations during editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

There is a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses describing location and change, and the main meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain, however. The opening overview has “a abandoned castle,” and “hotelas well” appears to lack a space; “car park and showers retained there position” has an unclear subject and incorrect possessive form. Agreement is also inconsistent in “the position of the marina and fishing boats were interchanged,” while “another facility of showers and toilets were added” has a number mismatch. Several sentences need clearer punctuation, such as the run-on after “east direction.” These errors rarely prevent understanding, but careful checking of articles, agreement, possessives, and sentence boundaries would improve accuracy.

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