Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-27
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 diagram illustrates the Porth Harbour in the year of 2000 and today.
There are given two diagrams. One diagram shows the Porth Harbour in 2000. While, the other one shows Porth Harbour in today after renovation.
Lookikng at the map of Porth Harbour in 2000 shows some dintinctive places of the Harbour.Towards the west side there was a main road. Moving on the road from the north to south, on the east side a road linked to the car parking. Beside of it towards north there was toilets and shower cabin. In front of both there was a Marina used for private yachts. Looking forward to east there was a dock for ships. Next to them there was a public beach towards north-east. On the main road moving further from the link road towards south side there was another road leading towards east. Moving on this road there was a car parking that's the second car parking on the north side of this road. Moving furthur there was also a place located for the lifeboats. On opposite side of this towards south there was a public beach and a castle that is none of use. Just beside of the car park there was an area specifiesd for the fishing boats.
Now look at the second diagram there are some ammendments in the harbour. Firstly, the number of docks is increased upto 2 docks. Another road is linked to the main road for the second car parking. A new area was established fior the showers and toilets with this car parking. One more thing is that there is a shuftle in the areas of marina (private yachts) and Fishing boats that arwe replaced. There is also an addition of cafes and shops just beside the lifeboats area. The disused castle is replaced bt a hotel and a new link riad is provided to this hiotel. Beside the hotel there was a public beach that is now turned to a private beach for the use of hotel only.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the harbour in both 2000 and today. You have identified key changes, such as the addition of a second dock, the hotel, and the reconfiguration of the beach and marina. However, the report is overly descriptive and lacks a clear overview. An effective Task 1 response should include a summary paragraph that highlights the most significant trends (e.g., the shift from a public-focused harbour to a more commercialized, hotel-oriented facility). The current structure is a list of details rather than a synthesis of information, which prevents it from reaching a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, but the flow is somewhat mechanical. You rely heavily on repetitive transition phrases like 'Moving on the road' and 'Moving further'. While the progression of ideas is generally logical, the lack of sophisticated cohesive devices makes the text feel like a list of observations rather than a cohesive report. Paragraphing is present, but the transition between the description of the 2000 map and the current map could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, but the overuse of simple connectors limits the overall flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the map, such as 'renovation', 'amendments', and 'disused'. However, there are several spelling errors ('Lookikng', 'dintinctive', 'fior', 'shuftle', 'arwe', 'bt', 'riad') and some awkward word choices ('none of use' instead of 'disused'). These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader. To improve, you should focus on using more precise geographical and descriptive terminology and ensure that your spelling is accurate, as these errors prevent the response from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include 'There are given two diagrams', 'Beside of it', and 'the number of docks is increased upto 2 docks'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage and spacing. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of errors in basic sentence construction and verb tense usage indicates that you are not yet consistently producing error-free complex sentences. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and preposition usage would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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