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 diagram compares the layout of Porth Harbour from 2000 to present-day respectively.
Overall, the plan illustrates some major changes such as Dock, Showers and toilents options are increased today as compared to 2000. On south side of paln, cafes and shops are opened followed by the private beach and hotel.
As compared the plan from 2000 to today such as the north side of plan, some sides such as public beach, passenger farries are not changed, but now it had 2 dock options. Marina private yachts becomes Fishing boats.
On the south side, the Fishing boats changed into Marina and a new option of showers and toilents had been made. The small roads which following the lifeboats, some cafe shops are now opened there as well which are not available in 2000. The public beach becomes private beach because the Castle now becomes a hotel. The main road on the west side of plan had not changed.
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 provides a general overview of the changes, but it lacks precision in reporting the main features. While you identify some developments, such as the addition of showers and toilets, the description of the layout is often confusing. For instance, stating that 'public beach becomes private beach' and 'Castle now becomes a hotel' is a good observation, but the report lacks a clear, structured comparison of the harbour's transformation. Some information is slightly inaccurate or difficult to follow, such as the mention of 'passenger farries' which are not clearly defined in the context of the changes. To improve, ensure you group information logically by area or type of change to provide a clearer summary.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and awkward transitions. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall' and 'On the south side', but the internal flow within paragraphs is often mechanical. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'some sides such as public beach... are not changed, but now it had 2 dock options'. The connection between sentences is occasionally disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the spatial changes in the harbour. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring clear reference to specific locations would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. You rely on basic terms like 'changed', 'opened', and 'options'. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'toilents' (toilets), 'paln' (plan), and 'farries' (ferries), which detract from the professional tone required for an Academic Task 1. While you attempt to describe the features, the lack of precise terminology for geographical or architectural changes limits your score. To reach a higher band, focus on using more varied and accurate vocabulary to describe trends and spatial layouts, such as 'transformed', 'converted', 'expanded', or 'remained unchanged'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('Marina private yachts becomes Fishing boats'), incorrect tense usage ('had been made', 'are now opened'), and awkward sentence construction ('The small roads which following the lifeboats'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors is noticeable and occasionally impedes the flow of the text. Focusing on basic sentence structure and ensuring consistent verb tenses will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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