Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-19
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 provided maps descibe the changes of Porth Harbour that took place in 2000 and compare them with the present day.
Overall, it can be seen that the harbour underwent many chnages and has modernized with the addition of public facilities, some features have retained and removed, while others have replaced. The most notice developments are cafes and shops and a hotel.
In 2000, the harbour had a simple layout. Showers and toilets were constructed on the northwest corner, while next to it a marina (private yachts) was present. A main road wwas present on the west side and leads to a car park and second car park was present on the southwest corner and on the right side of the park, fishing boats were present. A road was lead to a lifeboat which was present on the north side and on the opposite side a public beach was constructed. A castle was situated on the southeast corner and a dock present on the north side.
Today, the harbour has a modern building. Location of marina has replaced with fishing boats and public beach has converted into private beach for the hotel residents. A castle on the southeast corner has converted into a hotel and cafe nad shops have constructed on the left side of lifeboat. New toilets and a car park has also added in the construction of harbour.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers most of the key changes shown in the maps, such as the exchange of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of the hotel replacing the disused castle, and the inclusion of new cafés and shops. The overview mentions that the harbour underwent modernization, public facilities were added, and features were replaced. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reporting precise locations (e.g., stating that the café and shops are on the 'left side' of the lifeboat rather than adjacent/north of the road, and minor typos like 'chnages'). Nevertheless, the response successfully contrasts the 2000 layout with present-day modifications, fulfilling the requirements of Task 1 appropriately. This aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, a body paragraph detailing the 2000 map, and a final paragraph describing the current layout. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In 2000' and 'Today', to structure the temporal contrast effectively. However, referencing and cohesion can feel somewhat mechanical and repetitive at times (e.g., beginning multiple sentences with 'A...'). Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the historical state from the present state, resulting in a coherent overall arrangement that meets the criteria for a Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'modernized', 'layout', 'constructed', and 'facilities'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('descibe', 'chnages', 'notice', 'nad') and some awkward word choices ('Location of marina has replaced with...', 'has converted into'). While less common vocabulary is attempted, inaccuracies in word choice and morphology occur regularly. The lexical range is minimally sufficient to convey the intended meaning, but errors prevent it from reaching a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting passive constructions such as 'were constructed' and 'has been converted into'. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, featuring errors in passive voice formation ('has replaced with', 'has converted into' instead of 'was replaced by' or 'has been converted'), missing articles, and subject-verb agreement issues ('A road was lead', 'New toilets and a car park has also added'). While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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