Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-29
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 illustration provides us with a comparison of the Porth Harbour in 2000 and today.
Overall, the Porth Harbour has undergone some fundamental changes such as a castle is replaced by a hotel. Yachts are provided for recreational activities. Cafes have been introduced as well.
The public beach and the area designated for the passenger ferries is still in the north. However, the area reserved for the dock has been expanded, providing larger surface area. The fishing boat space is replaced by the Marina (private yachts) and vice versa.
Talking about the car park in bottom , it is now connected to the main road which in 2000 was directly connected to a road running in south to it which now leads to the hotel. Some showers and lavatories are now added in the north to the main road. Shops and cafes are also built alongside the lifeboat changing the infrastructure.
An abandoned castle is now changed to a hotel where tourists and visitors can stay provided with a private beach only for the hotel customers which in the past was a public beach.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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's transformation, such as the conversion of the castle into a hotel and the expansion of the dock. However, the reporting is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the claim that the public beach remains in the north is contradicted by the final paragraph, which notes that the beach is now private for hotel guests. This lack of clarity in the data interpretation hinders the overall accuracy of the summary. While the main trends are identified, the description of the layout changes, particularly regarding the road and car park, is slightly confusing and lacks the precision required for a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific areas of the harbour. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'However' and 'In the past', to signal transitions. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'which in 2000 was directly connected to a road running in south to it'. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be more cohesive to better guide the reader through the spatial changes.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'recreational activities', 'infrastructure', and 'designated' used correctly. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'in bottom' (should be 'at the bottom') and 'running in south to it'. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the sophistication and precision in collocation that would be expected at a higher level. The repetition of basic verbs like 'changed' and 'replaced' also limits the lexical variety.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'a castle is replaced' (should be 'the castle was replaced'), 'provided with a private beach' (dangling modifier), and 'in the north to the main road' (preposition error). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure in the fourth paragraph is convoluted, making it difficult to follow the intended meaning regarding the road layout.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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