Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-05
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 5.5)
The given maps illustrate the changes in porth harbour from 2000 to present time.
Overall, there is no big changes in porth harbour today few of things replaced.
To begin, in 2000 one car parking gate was attached to main road and the south parking attached to lifeboat road while, in today changes both car parking's entrances link with main road. The shower and toilets were available in northside of upper car park in new structure one more shower and toilets are added in the center of both parking's.
In 2000 the fishing boats were in south side of map and marina was on northside while, in update map both places replace with each other. In 2000 there was two beaches in structure one was in north east side and second one was on south east side in new harbour the lower south side beach convert into private and only available for hotel. There were two passenger ferries and one dock in 2000 and in today updates one ferry and one dock more added. There was no café and shops in previous map while, in new structure cafe's and shops build beside the road.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the harbour maps, including the changes to parking, facilities, and the relocation of the marina and fishing boats. However, the overview is weak; stating 'there is no big changes' is inaccurate given the significant additions like the café, shops, and the change in beach access. While the key information is identified, the report lacks a clear, analytical summary of the overall trends. The description of the changes is generally accurate, but some details, such as the specific locations of the new facilities, could be more precisely described to improve clarity.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the comparison. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'In 2000... while, in today...'). The transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'in new structure one more shower and toilets are added'. Improved use of linking words and better sentence flow would enhance the logical progression of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There is frequent repetition of basic terms like 'structure', 'map', and 'side'. Some word choices are unnatural, such as 'in today updates' or 'in update map'. To reach a higher band, you should use more precise terminology related to map descriptions, such as 'relocated', 'transformed', 'extended', or 'adjacent to'. The spelling of 'cafe's' is incorrect (no apostrophe needed for plural).
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Issues include incorrect article usage ('in northside', 'in center of'), subject-verb agreement ('there is no big changes'), and awkward phrasing ('the south parking attached to lifeboat road'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and apostrophes. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors prevents a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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