Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-31

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 above plans show the image of a harbour in 2000 verses how it looks like today. The name of this specific harbour being displayed is Porth Harbour.

Both of the plans show the main features located in the map. The public beach, the dock and passenger ferries all lie to the north of the map. Other than that the habour contains car park, lifeboat, roads, showers and toilet and other important features.

Since 2000, there are various significant changes that occured to the harbour. One of the major changes that occured in the harbour is the number of docks. The number of docks has increased to 2. Apart from that, a new showers and toilets section has been added to the side of main road in the west. The Marina and the fishing boats have exchanged places with each other. The road in the southern part of the map now contains new cafe's and shops. The public beach in the 2000 has been transformed to a private beach for the hotel established. The disused castle in the 2000 seems to have been transformed to a hotel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes, including the exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas, the addition of cafés and shops, and the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel. However, the overview is limited: the second paragraph mainly lists features rather than summarising the harbour’s overall transformation. Some details are inaccurate or unclear. The dock has an additional jetty and two boats, rather than the number of docks increasing to two; the new showers and toilets are in the south-west beside the marina, not simply beside the main road. Also, the beach made private is the beach south of the road, not a public beach that was there in 2000. A clearer overview and more precise location comparisons would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to a general description and then to changes, so the reader can follow its overall direction. The final paragraph groups several developments together, and phrases such as “Since 2000” and “Apart from that” help signal relationships. However, the second paragraph is a broad inventory rather than a useful overview, and the final paragraph presents changes in a list-like sequence without grouping them by area or type. Some references are also unclear: “the public beach in the 2000” does not identify which beach, while “the road in the southern part” seems to refer to facilities beside the road. Organising the report around the northern and southern areas, and using clearer references, would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of map-related vocabulary, including “harbour,” “Marina,” “disused castle,” “transformed,” and “exchanged places.” These choices help communicate the main developments, and the meaning is generally clear. Some wording is imprecise or unnatural, however: “the image of a harbour” is less suitable than describing plans, “the number of docks” mislabels the change in jetties, and “the road … contains new cafés and shops” does not accurately express their location. There are also spelling and form slips, such as “habour,” “occured,” and “cafe's.” Aim for precise location language and standard forms, especially when describing map features and changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including “Since 2000, there are various significant changes that occurred…” and “The disused castle … seems to have been transformed…”. Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions reduce accuracy. For example, “verses how it looks like today” combines incompatible forms; “there are … changes that occurred” mixes present and past time; and “a new showers and toilets section” has an article and number mismatch. The phrase “the public beach in the 2000” also uses an incorrect article and time expression. Use consistent past and present tenses to distinguish the two plans, and check articles, agreement, and sentence patterns when revising.

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