Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-21

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 plan compares how a harbour transformed from 2000 to this day. Overall, it underwent a significant number of changes with the addition of showers, toilets, cafes and shops whereas public beach, passenger ferries, lifeboat and the road remained unchanged.

In 2000, public beach occupied the north side with a dock between two passenger ferries, fishing boats and a Marina(private yachts) accomodating in it. On westren side, along the main road, positioned two car parkings, with shower and toilets behind one if it. A castle which was often no used was located on the southren end of the beach and a lifeboat connecting beach to the main road.

However, today another pessenger ferry has been introduced right behind the dock. For the refreshment of the tourisits, cafes and shops are opened to the left side of the lifeboat. Fishing boats and marina swapped their positions. Addition of showers and toilets took place behind the south side car parking. Furthermore, the castle which was hardly used before has been transformed into a hotel and beach area around it which was initially public is allocated only for the hotel private use.

Overall, major changes took place over the years making it more commericial and tourists centered.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the broad transformation from a harbour to a more visitor-oriented site, and your overview notes several additions and the change from a disused castle to a hotel. You also report the key swap between the fishing-boat area and the marina, and the beach’s change to hotel use. Some details, however, are inaccurate or unclear: the public beach is at the north-east, not on the north side, and the dock is not described as being between two passenger ferries. The maps show an additional jetty and two boats at the dock today, rather than clearly showing another passenger ferry. Your overview also says the passenger ferries remained unchanged, which conflicts with this description. Covering the main changes more precisely would strengthen an otherwise relevant summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview, a description of the earlier harbour, and a paragraph about today’s changes. This gives the reader a generally coherent route through the comparison. Linking expressions such as “However,” “Furthermore,” and “Overall” help signal shifts, although the final “Overall” repeats the overview rather than adding a distinct concluding point. Some sequencing and reference are less clear; for example, “behind one if it” does not make the location of the facilities easy to follow, and “beach area around it” leaves the exact feature being discussed uncertain. Grouping changes by location or by what was replaced, and using clearer references to the north, south and harbour entrance, would make progression more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “transformed,” “swapped their positions,” “allocated,” and “commercial,” and these choices communicate the general development. However, several spelling and word-choice problems reduce precision: “westren,” “southren,” “pessenger,” “tourisits,” and “commericial” are misspelled, while “car parkings” is not the natural form. Some phrases are also awkward or imprecise, such as “often no used” and “for the refreshment of the tourists.” The map task benefits from accurate location and facility terms, so prioritise correct spelling and natural collocations. A more precise vocabulary range is beginning to emerge, but errors still make parts of the description less fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex structures, including the contrast introduced by “whereas” and the clause beginning “which was initially public.” The main message is usually understandable, but grammatical errors occur across several sentence patterns. For example, “a Marina … accomodating in it” lacks a correctly formed verb construction, and “a lifeboat connecting beach to the main road” is an incomplete clause. There are also problems with articles and sentence structure in “positioned two car parkings” and “beach area around it which was initially public is allocated.” Work on complete clauses, verb forms and article use, and check punctuation around longer clauses. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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

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