Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-18

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 map illustrates a comparison between the layout of Porth Harbour in 2000 and its layout today.

Overall, it is clear that the Porth Harbour experienced significant changes. It transformed from a royal look to a commercial area. The main change is the transformation of the castle into a hotel.

In original layout, the public beach had a dock that allowed two passenger ferries. At the west side, a car park was linked with the main road. This car park area has facility of showers and toilets. Marina (private yachets) is next to this car park. Another car park was located at the south side of Prth Harbour that was linked with the small road. Here passengers can take rides of fishing boats. The small road ended at the lifeboat. The castle was located at the bottom east-side. This castle has a public beach.

Today's layout, now dock allowed more passenger ferries to move. The location of Marina ( private yachets) and Fishing boats has shifted to each other. Now, another car park also has facility of showers and toilets. Lifeboat has the area for cafes and shops. Now the passengers can go to the hotel by road. The castle has transformed into a hotel with a private beach.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the two time periods and report several important changes, including the exchange of locations between the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafés and shops, and the castle becoming a hotel with a private beach. The overview also recognises substantial redevelopment, although “from a royal look to a commercial area” is vague and not a clear summary of the main spatial changes. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the original dock is not described as a beach, and the map does not show two passenger ferries there; it shows a dock with one boat and passenger ferries nearby. The account of the road and lifeboat is also imprecise. This covers the task well overall, but clearer, more accurate reporting and fuller comparison would strengthen it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the original and current layouts. This makes the broad progression easy to follow, and phrases such as “In original layout” and “Today’s layout” help signal the time comparison. However, the sequence within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to track because locations are described without consistent directional framing, and “This castle has a public beach” leaves the relationship between the castle and beach unclear. Some links are also mechanical or repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “Now.” Organise each period from north to south or west to east, and use clearer references to distinguish the harbour features from the beaches and roads.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “layout,” “located,” “transformed,” and “shifted,” and these choices communicate several key changes. However, some wording is imprecise or unnatural for describing plans: “royal look,” “allowed more passenger ferries to move,” and “passengers can take rides of fishing boats” do not express the map information accurately. There are also spelling errors in “yachets” and “Prth,” and “facility of showers and toilets” is an awkward collocation. Aim for precise location and change language, such as “was situated,” “was relocated,” and “was replaced by.” This would make the description more fluent and reduce ambiguity while retaining the useful range already attempted.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and some longer structures, including “The location of Marina … and Fishing boats has shifted to each other,” so there is an attempt to vary sentence form. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “In original layout” needs an article, and “The location … and Fishing boats has shifted” has a subject–verb agreement problem and an unclear construction. Tense control also shifts between past description and present-tense commentary, as in “Here passengers can take rides,” while “Today's layout, now dock allowed” is not a well-formed clause. Use past tense for the 2000 plan and present tense for today, and check articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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