Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-13
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)
Both the maps give the comparison of site in the porth harbour in 2000 and today.
As it is clearly seen from the map that harbour has been renovated during the frame. From the main road the porth harbour has two enteries to east for car parks at some distance. For refereshment, the old site has only one showers and toilet area while the renewed area has two showers and toilet area with both car parks.
the porth harbour has now three docks for passenger ferries which was two before.
The area for fishing boats and marina (private yacht) has been switched. the porth harbour has now launched cafes and shops for public engagemennt, at south east to one of the car park ,near marina.
The interconnected route form main road comes directly to lifeboat, which now has connected to the hotel, replaced by a castle (disused). there are two beaches at the porth harbour. one near hotel is now a privatized beach which was public before and the other one is still a public beach near passenger ferries.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| 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's transformation, such as the addition of docks, the relocation of the marina, and the development of new facilities like cafes and shops. However, the report lacks a clear overview or summary paragraph, which is essential for a high band score in Task 1. Some details are slightly confusing, such as the description of the car parks and the shower/toilet facilities, which could be presented more clearly. While the main changes are identified, the lack of a cohesive summary of the overall trends (e.g., the shift from a functional fishing harbour to a more commercial/tourist-oriented site) limits the depth of the analysis.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into short paragraphs, but the logical flow is somewhat disjointed. The transition between describing the harbour's entrance, the facilities, and the docks feels abrupt. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link ideas effectively; for instance, the text relies on simple sentence structures rather than using linking words to show relationships between the changes. Paragraphing is present but does not fully support the logical progression of information. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the spatial layout of the harbour.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several spelling errors (e.g., 'porth', 'enteries', 'refereshment', 'engagemennt') and some awkward phrasing, such as 'switched' to describe the relocation of the marina and fishing boats. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'renovated', 'marina', and 'privatized', the overall range is limited. The repetition of 'porth harbour' throughout the text also suggests a need for a wider range of synonyms or better use of referencing to avoid redundancy.
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 clarity. Examples include 'Both the maps give the comparison of site', 'which was two before', and 'The interconnected route form main road comes directly to lifeboat'. There are also issues with article usage ('the' is often missing or misused) and subject-verb agreement. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the response from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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