Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-25
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 two maps illustrate the condition of a harbour in 2000 and today respectively. There are major upgrades in today's harbour as comapred to 2000 harbour.
Starting from the north, there is one more dock built near the public beach in the direction of east. Following on the west side the location of Marina (private yachts) and fishing boats are exchanged and there is addition of one more showers & toillets place next to the location where the current Marina (private yachts) is located. Everthing else from the north to west side is plateau. Following the main road in the south direction on the east side where there is a road the road is same as it was in 2000, whereas the is a new place for cafes & shops next to the life boat. But the most noticable change is the castle is changed in a hotel and the beach next to it which was for public now it is has limited access for only the invdividuals of the hotel.
Overall, there are major changes that have changed the harbour from the 2000 including consturction of new dock and showers and toilets and replacement of castle. Generally it is a progressive innovation.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main changes that occurred between the year 2000 and the present day at Porth Harbour. An overview is provided at the end, which summarises the major transformations, such as the construction of a new dock and the replacement of the castle. Key spatial features are reported, including the relocation of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafes and shops, and the conversion of the disused castle into a hotel with a private beach. While some of the descriptions are a bit conversational and could be more concise, all essential comparisons are made accurately against the provided maps.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is structured into four distinct paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by two body paragraphs detailing the northern and southern changes, and concluding with an overall summary. Progression is generally logical, moving systematically from north to south across the harbour. However, cohesive devices are sometimes repetitive or awkwardly integrated, as seen with phrases like 'Following on the west side' and 'Following the main road'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the information, but overall cohesion occasionally feels mechanical rather than completely fluid.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully referencing many specific map features such as 'Marina (private yachts)', 'passenger ferries', and 'lifeboat'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('comapred', 'toillets', 'Everthing', 'consturction', 'invdividuals') and occasional unnatural phrasing, such as 'plateau' used to describe land or areas. While the student attempts some less common phrasing, the lexical control lacks precision and is hampered by frequent orthographic slips, preventing the score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as introductory prepositional phrases and relative clauses. There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, including punctuation oversights and preposition mismatches (e.g., 'the castle is changed in a hotel' instead of 'into', and 'beach next to it which was for public now it is has limited access'). Despite these recurring inaccuracies, the errors rarely impede overall communication, and the meaning of the report remains clear.
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