Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-26
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 compares the development Porth Harbour underwent since 2000.
Overall, the most significant development is increasing the number of dock, toilets, and introducing cafes and shops, hotel.
Before development, the map displays, showers and toilets, car park and marina for private yachts in the North- Western region. To its South, another car park and fishing boats were located.On the North- Easter a single Dock for passenger ferries and beach for public was established. To the Southern part a lifeboat and unsued castle is located, a public beach is located near it.
Since 2000, a lot of changes were introduced in Porth Harbour making it a tourist oriented place. One of the most noticeable developmant was increasing the number of Docks from one to two. Another change was interchanging the positions of marina and fishing boats. Private yachts at the marina have the access to cafes and shops and a shower and toilet area which makes them more tourist friendly. Unused castle was transformed into a hotel with its private beach exclusively open for its guests, which was earlier open for the public.
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 covers the main features of the maps, successfully identifying key changes such as the reconfiguration of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafes, shops, and a hotel, and the expansion of the docks. An overview is present in the second paragraph, outlining the primary transformations. However, some descriptions contain minor inaccuracies or awkward phrasing, such as referring to increasing the number of docks incorrectly (the number of berths/boats in the dock increased, or a new jetty was added). Nevertheless, the response adequately addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear overview.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, starting with an introductory sentence, followed by an overview, a description of the past layout, and finally the current changes. Cohesive devices are used to signal time and transitions, such as 'Before development' and 'Since 2000'. However, referencing and progression are occasionally mechanical or slightly disjointed, as seen in sentences like 'On the North- Easter a single Dock for passenger ferries and beach for public was established.' Paragraphing is acceptable, but overall logical flow could be enhanced by smoother transitional links between ideas.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student attempts a range of vocabulary relevant to the task, including terms like 'tourist oriented', 'interchanging the positions', and 'exclusively open'. There are, however, several lexical and collocational inaccuracies, such as 'increasing the number of dock' (instead of docks), 'North- Easter' (instead of north-east), 'developmant' (spelling error), and 'unsued castle'. While communication is not impeded, these errors and a slightly limited control over less common vocabulary place this response firmly in Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Private yachts at the marina have the access to cafes and shops and a shower and toilet area which makes them more tourist friendly.' There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, including missing articles ('compares the development Porth Harbour underwent', 'beach for public'), tense inconsistencies, and minor punctuation issues. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear and the sentences are generally understandable.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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