Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-01

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 pair of maps indicates the changes of porth harbour about how it looked in 2000 and how it is at present.

Overall, it can be seen that the harbour witnessed dramatic changes over these years, specifically with respect to road infrastructure connected with beach.

Looking at the first map, on the northwest side of the main road there were showers & toilets and car park, which are still present in the today's harbour. However, on the southwest side there was a car park on the beach road but now it is on the main road beside another showers & toilets. Marina (private yachts) and fishing boats has been exchanged their present side from the past.

The northeast side of the harbour are still the same as in 2000. The disused castle used to be on the southeast side which now is replaced with hotel connected with the road. The beach which was for public, now it becomes prvate beach for the hotel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast between the two plans: the harbour has changed, the marina and fishing-boat areas have switched, and the disused castle has become a hotel with a private beach. These are relevant features, and the overview signals that change has occurred. However, the overview focuses on road infrastructure, although the most notable developments are the relocation of harbour uses and the hotel/private beach. Some details are also unclear or inaccurate: the south-west car park was not on the beach road, and the north-east area is not entirely unchanged because the dock gains a jetty and boats. Mentioning the new cafés and shops and the added facilities would make the summary more complete and develop the comparisons more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction and overview are followed by details about the western harbour and then the north-east and south-east. This gives the reader a generally logical route through the maps, and linking expressions such as “However” and “which now” help signal comparison. To make the progression more consistently clear, group changes by area or by type and use more precise references. For example, “the northeast side … are still the same” is broad, while the dock has changed; specify that the public beach remains. The long sentence about the marina and fishing boats could also be separated or clarified so the reader can follow exactly which areas exchanged functions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a relevant range of map vocabulary, including “northwest,” “southwest,” “replaced,” “main road,” and “private beach,” which allows the main changes to be understood. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “witnessed dramatic changes.” However, some word choices and collocations are imprecise: “changes … about how it looked” is awkward, and “exchanged their present side from the past” does not clearly express that the marina and fishing-boat areas switched locations. Spelling errors such as “prvate” also reduce accuracy. Aim for concise, conventional map language, such as “was relocated to” or “remained unchanged,” and check spelling and the natural pairing of words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “the castle … which now is replaced with hotel,” and most of the intended meaning can be followed. However, some errors in agreement, tense, articles and sentence construction remain. For example, “Marina … and fishing boats has been exchanged” needs a plural subject and a passive form such as “were exchanged,” while “The northeast side … are” has a subject–verb agreement problem. “It is on the main road” also gives an unclear grammatical relationship between the car park and road. Practise accurate past-versus-present comparisons and check each sentence’s subject, verb and articles; this will make your varied structures more reliable.

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

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