Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-24
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 following maps shows the map plans of port harbour in 2000 and of present times, it also gives us an idea of variation in the placement of certain buidings that has changed overtime.
In 2000s, the northen side of the map shows the public beach and a dock which was used for ferry tours. whereas in the north western side, there was a car park which was linked to the main road. Showers, toilets and a marina area which was specifically used for private yachts were adjacent to the car park.On the southern side there was a public beach which was dedicated to public interaction, nearby there was a castle which was built on the south eastern side of the map.Car park and fishing boats were located on the south western side of the map.
Moreover the port harbour of the present times shows some similarities and some changes have also been made. The area on the north western side remains the same as before, the location of fishing boats area and marina have interchanged, there was one more dock added in the dock area, showers were also added to the south western side.There was an addition of the cafes and shops near the lifeboat area, and the disused castle was replaced by the hotel, lastly the private beach was reserved for the hotels.
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 all parts of the task well, providing a clear comparison of Porth Harbour between 2000 and the present day. The candidate successfully identifies major changes, such as the interchange of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of a hotel and private beach replacing the disused castle, and the inclusion of new amenities like cafes, shops, and showers. An overview is present in the opening paragraph, outlining the overall changes. However, there are minor inaccuracies in detail reporting, such as describing the northern public beach and dock incorrectly relative to the layout in 2000. Despite this, the key features are adequately selected and reported, meeting the criteria for a Band 6.5 or solid 6.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organized into three paragraphs: an introduction, a body paragraph detailing the 2000 map, and a body paragraph describing the changes in the present day. There is a logical progression from past to present. However, paragraphing is somewhat basic, and the second body paragraph is a long, dense block of text listing multiple spatial features ('On the southern side... nearby there was... Car park and fishing boats...'). Cohesive devices are used, but referencing is occasionally repetitive or mechanical ('On the southern side', 'Moreover', 'Lastly'). Overall organization is coherent, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be managed more smoothly, aligning with a Band 6.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating specific terms from the visual data such as 'marina', 'passenger ferries', 'lifeboat area', and 'disused castle'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary ('interchanged', 'dedication'), but word choice and collocation are occasionally awkward, as seen in 'public interaction' or 'buidings' (which is also a spelling error). Phrasing like 'present times' is functional but basic. Errors in spelling ('buidings', 'northen') and minor lexical inaccuracies do not impede communication, supporting a Band 6 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The candidate attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('a dock which was used for ferry tours') and compound sentences. However, there is a lack of control in punctuation and sentence boundaries, resulting in run-on sentences and comma splices (e.g., 'The area on the north western side remains the same as before, the location of fishing boats area and marina have interchanged...'). Grammatical errors persist, particularly with tense consistency and missing articles ('replaced by the hotel' instead of 'a hotel'). While communication is generally maintained, frequent structural and punctuation flaws prevent the grammar from reaching a Band 7.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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