Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-06
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 plan shows changes in the Porth harbour from 2000 till tody. There areseveral changes had been ocured till with last two and half decade.
Overall, Porth Harbour underwent siginificant changes such as increase in number of dock and showers toielts. The most striking feature is development of hotel, cafes and shops while transforming the public beach to private.
The western area today experienced additinal showers and toilets besides the car park. The central area were fishing boat and Marina at which private yachts stands has been interchnaged. Moreover the number of dock at the nortern region of harbour increased from one to two. Additionaly, there is new cafes and shop in centeral regioan beside Lifeboat. However, the passenger ferries area remian unchnaged.
The sourthern area where castle was located back in 2000 is now transformed to hotel, with development of proper road for connectivity. Currently the public beach is converted to private beach allocated for the hotel guests. The eastern area of the harbour remian unchnaged.
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 plans, including the addition of amenities and the transformation of the beach. You successfully identify the key changes, such as the new hotel and the expansion of the docks. However, the report lacks a clear, analytical overview of the most significant trends. While you mention some changes, the description of the central area is slightly confusing, and the comparison between the 2000 and current layout could be more precise. To improve, ensure that the main trends are highlighted more clearly in the overview and that the spatial relationships are described with greater clarity.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of changes. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'Additionally', and 'However' to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is slightly disjointed, particularly in the description of the central area. The referencing is generally clear, but the paragraphing could be more effectively used to group related changes, such as infrastructure versus commercial developments. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'transformed', 'connectivity', and 'allocated'. However, there are several spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'tody', 'siginificant', 'toielts', 'nortern', and 'centeral'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, the lack of precision and the recurring spelling mistakes limit the score. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise descriptive language for spatial changes and ensure careful proofreading to eliminate basic spelling errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'There areseveral changes had been ocured', 'The central area were fishing boat', and 'there is new cafes'. These errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and tense usage, occur frequently. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of these errors impacts the overall accuracy. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that verb tenses are used consistently when describing past and present states.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.