Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-23

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)

This layout depicts the changings which have been made between the year 2000 and now and it is looking distinct with respect to past.

It is evident that Porth Harbour has been changed considerably with the numerous new features have been added.

Looking in more detail, we can analyze that public beach has removed and private beach places in its place in the south side of the beach.

Another feature which has been added is a cafe nearby a road. In addition, showers and toilets facilities are increased due to major crowds of public which are visiting this Harbour on a daily basis.

Another physical feature is a hotel which placed in the place of castle. Despite this, the features that have not been changed are: car park, lifeboat and ferries.

Finally, fishing boat is replaced with the yachts and yachts itself has shifted to the east side of the car park.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the harbour, such as the replacement of the castle with a hotel and the shift from fishing boats to yachts. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. The description of the beach change is slightly inaccurate, and the report lacks a clear overview or summary paragraph that highlights the most significant trends, such as the shift from a functional fishing harbour to a more commercial/leisure-oriented facility. While all parts of the task are addressed, the lack of a cohesive summary and the limited development of the comparisons prevent a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into a single block of text, which makes it difficult to follow. There is a lack of clear paragraphing to separate the introduction, overview, and specific details. While some cohesive devices are used, such as 'In addition' and 'Finally', the flow between sentences is often mechanical. The referencing is sometimes unclear, for example, 'Despite this' is used incorrectly to introduce the features that remained unchanged. To improve, you should group related information into distinct paragraphs and use a wider variety of linking words to connect your ideas more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'the changings which have been made' (should be 'changes') and 'major crowds of public' (should be 'large numbers of people'). The phrase 'it is looking distinct with respect to past' is unnatural. While you successfully use terms like 'yachts' and 'lifeboat', the range is limited, and the errors occasionally draw attention to the language rather than the information being presented.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures and contains several grammatical errors that impede clarity. Examples include 'numerous new features have been added' (incorrect relative clause structure), 'public beach has removed' (should be passive voice: 'has been removed'), and 'hotel which placed in the place of castle' (missing auxiliary verb and article). There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and the frequent errors in verb tense and article usage suggest a limited control of grammar. Improving your grasp of passive voice and relative clauses would significantly enhance your score.

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

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