Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-04
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 plans illustrates harbour's current look and how it was looked in 2000.
Overall, it can be seen that, in 2000 there was limited areas in Harbour and now there are so many changes happened and a number of things are installed
To begin with, in 2000, there was one dock available for boat after that there was private area mentioned for marina, on the main road in the west side showers & toilets two car parks available, moreover, in south side's road met to the life boat and middle of road fishing areas for boats were located, below that public beach was mentioned with castle (disused).
Furthermore, in current porth harbour, there are lots off changes made and a number of things are downloaded such as they install one more dock for boats, they add one showers & toilets near between two car parks, they also add cafes & shops. In addition, they replace marina and fishing boats with each other, they change castle to hotel and public beach to private beach for the hotel and also add one way for hotel in south side's road which is reach life boat
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 plans, identifying key changes such as the addition of a second dock, the conversion of the castle into a hotel, and the reconfiguration of the marina and fishing areas. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview. While the main features are reported, the comparison between the two time periods is hindered by imprecise language and a lack of focus on the spatial layout. The summary of the 'current' harbour is a bit disjointed, and some details, such as the 'one way for hotel', are not clearly explained, leading to a slightly under-developed response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often awkward. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes repetitive (e.g., 'in addition', 'moreover', 'furthermore'). The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'replace marina and fishing boats with each other', which makes the spatial progression difficult to follow. The paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks logical progression, making the reader work harder to understand the spatial relationships between the various features mentioned.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is quite limited and often inappropriate for an academic report. There are several instances of incorrect word choice, such as 'downloaded' instead of 'developed' or 'added', and 'harbour's current look' which is too informal. The phrasing 'there are so many changes happened' is grammatically and lexically weak. While the student attempts to describe specific features like 'marina', 'dock', and 'public beach', the lack of precision in describing the transformation of the area limits the score. More sophisticated vocabulary related to urban development and spatial change is required.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('The plans illustrates'), article usage ('in west side'), and sentence structure ('there was one dock available for boat after that there was private area'). The use of complex sentences is attempted but often results in run-on sentences or fragmented ideas. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas. While the meaning is generally discernible, the high frequency of basic errors in tense and structure prevents the response from reaching a higher band.
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