Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-20

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 maps compare Porth Harbour's current layout with its layout in 2000.

The two maps show that both layouts have differences and similarities. In 2000, some areas of the harbour were disused, whereas the current layout shows those places are used well. There are some places that swapped positions, such as the fishing boats and the marina.

In 2000, Porth Habour had only two public beaches, one dock, a disused castle with no road, one area for showers and toilets. Additionally, the fishing boats area was also far from the dock, while the marina was nearer to it.

The current layout is well designed where every area is used with proper planning. It has two car parks along with two areas for showers and toilets, while previously it had only one. Instead of two public beaches, there is one public beach and one private beach which is beside hotel and connected with direct road. Caffee and shops are added beside lifeboat area, previously there was one dock, however, another one is added. Private beach is exclusive for the hotel staying people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation—the fishing boats and marina exchange areas—and note the change from the disused castle to a hotel and from a public to a private beach. These are relevant comparisons, and your overview recognises that the harbour has been redeveloped. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the 2000 map shows one public beach, not “two public beaches,” and the dock is not described as having another dock added; it gains an additional jetty and has two boats. The claim that the castle had “no road” is also misleading, as a road runs towards that area. To strengthen the response further, report the key spatial changes more precisely and distinguish changes to facilities from changes to the harbour entrance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a broad overview, and separate descriptions of the earlier and current layouts. This gives the reader a general progression from past to present. Some links, however, are mechanical or unclear. For example, “Additionally” introduces a detail without showing its relationship to the previous point, while the final paragraph joins several separate changes in a long sequence, making comparisons harder to follow. The overview also repeats the general idea that the layouts differ without organising the main changes into groups. Use clearer topic sentences and group related features—for example, water-use changes, new facilities, and the hotel/beach development—then connect each comparison explicitly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary such as “layout,” “swapped positions,” “public beach,” “car parks,” and “beside,” so the main information is generally understandable. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for a formal map description: “used well,” “well designed,” and “proper planning” are evaluative rather than objective, and “another one is added” does not accurately name the change to the dock. There are also spelling errors, including “Habour” and “Caffee,” and the phrase “hotel staying people” is awkward. Aim for precise terms such as “relocated,” “converted,” “additional jetty,” and “hotel guests,” and avoid judging the design unless the map itself supports that interpretation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mixture of simple and more complex forms, including the contrast in “In 2000 … whereas the current layout …” and the clause “where every area is used…”. Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical choices reduce accuracy. In “there is one public beach and one private beach which is beside hotel,” the article is missing before “hotel,” and the relative clause is awkwardly attached. The sentence beginning “Caffee and shops are added beside lifeboat area” then continues with “previously there was one dock,” creating a comma splice between independent clauses. Use full stops or linking words to separate these ideas, and check articles and sentence boundaries. More consistently controlled complex sentences would improve clarity.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.