The plans below show a harbour in 2000 and how it looks today.

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Sample Response

1

The plans show how Porth Harbour has been redesigned since 2000after the year 2000. Overall , the harbour has undergone significant redevelopmentsome changes, including the addition of another dock and essential facilities.

2

Prior to the redesign, in 2000, on the north-east side of the harbour was the dock for the passenger ferries along with the public beach. Opposite the dockOpposite of the dock, on the south, a small area was dedicated to a disused castlethe Castle, which was no longer in use. Next to the castle was another public beach. The road, which connected the west and the east sides of the harbourmap, terminated near the lifeboat stationended near the coast with the space for the lifeboats. On the south-west side of the road was a car park and the area for fishing boats. Lastly, the north-west side of the harbour was dedicated to space for private yachts, next to which was the area for showers and toiletsshowers and the toilets along with the car park, which had direct accessa direct access to the main road.

3

In the redesigned layout, a second pier has been added to form a twin-dock system for passenger ferriesa second dock has been added on the north-east side of the map. The castle, on the south-eastern sectionopposite side of the map, was replaced by the hotel, and the public beach next to it has been replaced by a private beachthe private one for the hotel. Next to the lifeboats, cafes and shops have been constructed. Also18Also, on the west side, the areaswest side areas for fishing boats and private yachts have exchanged positionsswapped places and a second shower and toilet facility has been added next to the southern car parkthe showers and toilets have been added next to both car parks .

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The essay effectively highlights key transformations in Porth Harbour across both timeframes with a clear overall structure. However, there are minor locational inaccuracies in describing specific features and occasional grammatical slips, such as stray digits and preposition errors. Focus on ensuring precise directional reporting against the map visual and proofreading for clean sentence construction.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TA

Task Achievement

7.0
Scoring rule

The overview correctly summarizes major developments, though key features like the added pier/dock structures contain slight locational ambiguity.

Next step

Ensure all reported details, such as the exact positioning of new features, strictly align with the provided visual key.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0
Scoring rule

The response presents a logical narrative progression by separating the two time periods into clear body paragraphs.

Next step

Vary cohesive devices beyond basic location transitions to improve paragraph flow and link detail sentences smoothly.

LR

Lexical Resource

7.0
Scoring rule

A good range of map-related vocabulary is used appropriately to describe redevelopment and functional changes.

Next step

Incorporate a wider variety of descriptive terms for spatial layouts and modernizations to reduce word repetition.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0
Scoring rule

Sentence structures show reasonable control with mixed complex forms, despite minor typographical errors and preposition slips.

Next step

Proofread carefully to catch stray characters and refine prepositions of place for improved accuracy.