Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-25

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 chart illustrates the development that took place in porth harbour back in 2000 versus today.

Overall, the harbour undergo alot of structural development from 2000 to modern day to cater more guests with most of the changes in the west side of the harbour also with the construction of cafes, shops and a place for a life boat with an addition of dock. One of the public beach turned into private beach for the hotel which is constructed where castle was used to be.

In the year 2000 Porth harbour had 2 car park. One is attached to a road beside main road and the other is attached with main road, it has a place for showers and toilet along with an area for private yachts and a place for fishing boats. There was used to be a dock on the east side of marina and a public beach on the north side of porth harbour. There is a road going from main road leading to lifeboat area and theres a castle beside it along with another public beach.

The Porth harbour went under alot of development and currently there are two car parks attached with main road with individual showers and toilets, marina and fishing boat area has switched places. The other road leading to lifeboat area now has cafes and other shops and there are two docs now. The castle is renovated into Hotel and they now own the public beach which used to be pulic.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation clearly: the marina and fishing-boat areas switch locations, the castle site becomes a hotel, and the southern beach becomes private. The overview also notes new cafés and shops and changes to the dock, showing a sound grasp of the overall development. Several details, however, are unclear or inaccurate: the dock is at the northern harbour entrance, not “on the east side of marina”; the lifeboat station already existed in 2000, rather than being newly added; and the hotel does not “own” the beach—the map labels it as a private beach for hotel guests. You also omit the public beach that remains in the north-east. More precise location descriptions and a fuller account of retained features would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an overview to a description of 2000 and then the present-day layout. This gives the reader a basic chronological comparison. However, some connections between features are difficult to follow, particularly in the overview’s long sentence and the description of the original car parks, road and marina. Phrases such as “One is attached to a road beside main road” do not make the locations clear, and “There was used to be” disrupts the progression. The final paragraph repeats several points from the overview rather than adding a clearly organised set of present-day details. Grouping changes by location or by what was retained versus replaced, and using clearer referencing, would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “car park,” “private yachts,” “fishing boats,” “lifeboat,” and “public beach,” and you attempt more specific terms such as “structural development.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a plan: “map chart” is redundant, “under a lot of development” is awkward, and “they now own the public beach” does not accurately express its new status. There are also spelling and word-form slips, including “alot,” “cafes” without the accent where appropriate, “docs” for “docks,” and “pulic.” Aim for concise, accurate map language and check spelling, especially for key labels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including comparisons between 2000 and today, but control of verb forms, agreement and sentence construction is inconsistent. For example, “the harbour undergo alot” should use a past-tense form, while “Porth harbour had 2 car park” needs plural agreement. The construction “There was used to be” is not grammatical; use “There used to be.” Articles and prepositions are also missing or awkward in phrases such as “beside main road” and “on the east side of marina.” Long sentences, especially in the overview, combine several ideas without clear punctuation. Practise accurate past and present forms, plural nouns and shorter, well-punctuated comparisons.

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