Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-18
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 illustrations give information about the changes that took place in Porth Harbour between 2000 and the present day. Overall ,the harbour has undergone several changes ,including the replacement of fishing boats with private yachts ,the addition of new facillities and changes to the beaches . However ,the main road and the public beach have remained in the same locations .
It is quite evident from the diagram that in 2000 , the first car park had showers and toilets whereas carpark did not .But the Marina (private yachts) and Fishing boats , these two places have been replaced by each other.
Furthermore , the main road remains todayat the same loctaion ,but the road which comes from the lifeboat and attaches to the Main road ,there has aslo been a small change , as a road has been constructed connecting Hotel to the main road . Also there is Hotel constructed at the place of castle and the public beach near castle is converted to a private beach for the consumers of hotel .The second public beach remains at the same place.
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 successfully addresses the main features of the maps, noting the transformation of Porth Harbour between 2000 and the present day. You provided a clear overview in the introductory paragraph mentioning major changes such as the swap of fishing boats and private yachts, the addition of facilities, and the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel. However, some descriptions in the body paragraphs lack precision or detail, and there are minor spatial inaccuracies, such as stating 'the first car park had showers and toilets whereas carpark did not'. Overall, the selection of main features is adequate, but more complete development of all key comparative details would push the response into a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into clear paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by body paragraphs detailing the changes. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'However', 'Furthermore', and 'Also' are used to connect ideas, though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different areas of the harbour. Referencing is generally clear, although phrases like 'these two places have been replaced by each other' create slight cohesion issues regarding pronoun and subject clarity. Progression is evident, but the logical flow between sentences could be smoothed out for better overall readability.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms like 'harbour', 'private yachts', 'fishing boats', 'car park', and 'public beach'. You attempted some less common vocabulary such as 'facillities' (which contains a spelling error) and 'converted'. There are several mechanical and spelling errors throughout the text, including spacing issues before punctuation marks (e.g., 'Overall ,the harbour') and misspellings like 'facillities', 'carpark' (written as one word when referring to the second one), 'todayat', 'loctaion', and 'aslo'. These lexical and orthographic inaccuracies occasionally distract from the reading experience.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as introductory subordinate clauses ('As the harbour has undergone...') and relative clauses. However, there are noticeable grammatical and punctuation errors throughout. Examples include spacing before commas and periods, run-on structures or awkward phrasing like 'whereas carpark did not', and 'the road which comes from the lifeboat and attaches to the Main road ,there has aslo been a small change'. While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, their frequency prevents the writing from achieving a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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