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 map illustrates the change in the Porth Harbour between 2000 and present day.

Overall, we can see significant change in the western side of Harbour. Similarly, the cafes and shops were erected in the southern part.

Firstly, it can be seen from the map that Car park was replaced from the south-west side to the right corner that was attached with the Main road. Similarly, the harbour for Fishing boats and Marina was replaced with each other. Showers and toilets were added in the south-west part near to the new Car parking. The space for two Dock was removed from the northern part and only one Dock was introduced.

Secondly, cafes and shops were introduced in the southern side of harbour near to the Lifeboat. Similarly, private beach was redeveloped and used for the hotel in the south-east part. The castle which was on the top right corner was transformed into the Hotel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes, including the exchange of the fishing-boat and private-yacht areas, the addition of facilities in the south-west, and the replacement of the castle by a hotel. The overview also signals that the harbour has changed substantially. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the car park is not described as moving to a “right corner,” and the dock was not reduced to one; today it has an additional jetty and two boats. The southern beach becomes private for hotel guests, rather than being redeveloped as the hotel itself. The north-east public beach and the changes to the dock entrance are also omitted. More precise reporting of these features would make the summary more complete and reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a brief overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. The sequence from general changes to specific locations is easy to follow, and the use of “Firstly” and “Secondly” helps signal progression. However, “Similarly” is repeated where the ideas are not actually similar, making the links between details mechanical. Some references are also difficult to follow, such as “the right corner” and “the space for two Dock,” so readers may be unsure which features you mean. Grouping changes by area or by type, and using clearer location references such as “at the northern entrance” or “south of the road,” would strengthen the flow and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of map-related vocabulary, including “replaced,” “introduced,” “transformed,” and “near to,” and the main changes are generally understandable. There are also attempts to describe development, such as “significant change” and “redeveloped.” However, some word choices and collocations are imprecise: “the harbour for Fishing boats and Marina was replaced with each other” does not clearly express that their locations were exchanged, while “the space for two Dock was removed” misdescribes the dock changes. “Erected” is also less natural for facilities on a harbour plan. Aim for precise verbs such as “relocated,” “converted,” and “added,” and use established labels consistently, including “car park” and “private beach.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses beginning “that” and “which,” and most sentences communicate the intended general meaning. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, plurals, and sentence construction. For example, “the change in the Porth Harbour” needs a more natural article pattern, and “two Dock” should be plural. In “Car park was replaced from the south-west side,” the passive construction and preposition do not form a clear grammatical relationship. There are also inconsistent article choices in phrases such as “near to the new Car parking.” Review article use and plural forms, and check that passive verbs take suitable prepositions. More accurate control of these patterns would improve clarity.

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