Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-21
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)
Both diagrams illustrate the structures of previous Porth Harbour in 2000 and its current view.
Overall, the structure among the two time stamps remained consistent. However, the additional things visible in current version includes Hotel, cafes and shops, and more docks.
From the main road on the west, visitors park their cars and reach to the lifeboats and enjoy sailing. Previously, there was an old castle that was not in use. But now, there is another passage leading to hotel, where people can relax, enjoy beech view in open sunlight as it is only limited to hotel these days. This lead to the need of cafes, and more showers and toilets for vistors.
Passenger ferries, lifeboats, and public beaches could be seen in both eras. While, marinas and fishing boats have switched there positions. Public beech is accessible to everyone but that will definitely be more crowded. While there is are long stretches of water on east, you can swim or sail through boats.
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 candidate attempts to summarise the main features of the maps, noting the most significant changes such as the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel and the switching of positions between the marina and fishing boats. However, the response lacks a clear, cohesive overview in the introduction, and some details are imprecise or speculative (e.g., discussing people relaxing in open sunlight or beaches becoming crowded). Furthermore, the word count barely clears the minimum requirement, which restricts the depth of development. While all key areas of the visual data are touched upon, the lack of thorough comparison and the presence of personal commentary rather than objective reporting limit the score to a Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text is divided into four paragraphs, which provides a basic structural framework for an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. However, logical progression within paragraphs is occasionally disrupted. For instance, the transition from discussing the main road to the hotel and back to ferries is somewhat disjointed. Cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes mechanical or inaccurate (e.g., 'While, marinas and fishing boats have switched there positions'). Paragraphing could be handled more purposefully to group related spatial features together, such as grouping the northern dock developments separately from the southern hotel and beach changes. This places the response firmly in the Band 5.5 category.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate to convey the general message, featuring task-related terms such as 'marina', 'fishing boats', 'passenger ferries', and 'lifeboats'. However, there are notable word choice and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'current version includes' instead of 'the current version', 'there positions' instead of 'their positions', and 'beech view' instead of 'beach view'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying heavily on everyday words rather than precise, academic terminology suited for describing spatial transformations (e.g., 'additional things visible' instead of 'notable additions'). These limitations prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'While, marinas and fishing boats have switched there positions.' However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with several persistent errors. Examples include missing articles ('reach to the lifeboats'), incorrect preposition usage ('reach to', 'leading to hotel'), and punctuation or tense issues. While meaning is generally recoverable despite these errors, the frequency of basic grammatical slips prevents the response from achieving a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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