Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-02

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 picture illustrates the harbour in 2000 and how do they appear today.

In 2000, The old harbour had two car parks and one space for shower & toilets. In addition, it had two public beach which can be accessed by all the people. Furthermore, it had life boat station and an unused castle. It also had space for fishing boats and private yachts and dock.

On the other hand, the second picture shows the plan of today's Porth Harbour. In constrast, new plan has two places for showers & toilets and car parks. Additionally, it has cafes & shops and the hotels with private beach which doesn't appear in old plan. The unused castle in 2000 is renewed as hotel which is a profitable improvement.

Meanwhile, the locations of fishing boats and marina(private yachts) were exchanged. There is no modifications in today's lifeboat and the dock location when compared to the previous plan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant changes, including the exchange of the fishing-boat and marina areas, the addition of cafés and shops, and the castle’s replacement by a hotel. However, the response does not give a clear overview of the harbour’s main transformation, and some details are inaccurate or unclear. For example, the two beaches in 2000 were not both public: the southern beach later became private, while the north-eastern public beach remains. The statement that the hotel is a “profitable improvement” is an unsupported judgement rather than a feature shown on the plan. You also say the dock location is unchanged, but omit its additional jetty and second berthed boat. Select the major changes accurately and summarise them in an overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: it first describes the 2000 plan, then contrasts it with today, and ends with changes to the marina and fishing-boat locations. Paragraphing supports this basic progression, and linking expressions such as “In addition,” “On the other hand,” and “Meanwhile” help connect points. This clear structure is a strength. However, some transitions are mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely: “In contrast” introduces additions rather than a direct contrast, and “Meanwhile” does not clearly connect the final comparison to the preceding sentence. Grouping related changes—for example, facilities, water uses, and the beaches—would make the progression more purposeful. Clearer references to which beach or dock you mean would also improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “car parks,” “public beach,” “lifeboat station,” “fishing boats,” and “private yachts.” These terms make the main subject understandable, and phrases such as “locations … were exchanged” attempt to describe spatial change. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, however: “how do they appear today” is not a natural way to introduce a plan, “unused castle” does not accurately convey “disused,” and “renewed as hotel” is not the right expression for replacement. “Two places for showers & toilets and car parks” is also ambiguous about how many of each facility there are. Use precise map vocabulary such as “converted into,” “relocated,” and “remained unchanged,” and check spelling, including “contrast.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple sentences and longer structures, including “Meanwhile, the locations of fishing boats and marina … were exchanged.” Meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical errors recur. The opening “how do they appear today” uses an incorrect question-like word order; write “how it looks today.” There are agreement and article errors in “two public beach” and “the hotels,” and the phrase “which doesn’t appear” has an unclear singular reference. “There is no modifications” also has a subject–verb agreement error; use “There are no modifications” or “The locations have not changed.” Capitalisation after the first sentence is inconsistent (“The old harbour”). More accurate agreement, articles, and sentence forms would make the comparisons easier to follow.

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

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