Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-27
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 maps illustrate the changes that took place in harbour from starting of the year 2000 to till today.
Overall, the area underwent significant changes. The main developments were the addition of cafes and shops and the development of hotel, while passenger ferries and dock remained unchanged.
Looking first at the the northern part of the area, previously there was only one section for showers and toiltes and two car park but now one more section has been added for showers and toilets. Marina(private yachts) replaced by fishing boats now and the place allocated to fishing boats previously has been replaced by Marina now.
Turning to the southern part, cafes and shops were added.In addition, castle was coverted into hotel allocating priavte beach for the hotel and even new road has been constructed linking to the hotel.Meanwhile, area allocated to passenger ferries, dock and lifeboat remained in the same location.
In conclusion, no significant changes made to the northeast part of the area while some sections have been added to the northwest and to the southern part.
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 successfully addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main changes to Porth Harbour between 2000 and the present. The student provides a clear overview mentioning key developments such as the addition of cafés and shops and the conversion of the castle into a hotel, alongside elements that remained unchanged. Key spatial transformations are reported, such as the swapping of locations between the marina and the fishing boats, and the addition of new facilities like showers and toilets. However, there are a few minor inaccuracies or omissions in the details, such as claiming passenger ferries and docks remained entirely unchanged when the dock features an additional jetty and an extra boat berthed today. Despite minor flaws, the overview is clear and the main features are adequately reported, corresponding to a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6 performance.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical progression, moving from an introductory overview to the northern section, southern section, and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different areas of the map. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, as seen in repetitive structures and minor cohesive awkwardness (e.g., 'Looking first at the the northern part'). Reference words and cohesive devices are generally adequate, but logical flow is occasionally hindered by phrasing limitations and missing articles. Overall, the organizational structure is clear enough to guide the reader through the comparisons.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a map comparison task, successfully utilizing terms like 'underwent significant changes', 'replaced', 'converted', and 'constructed'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'toiltes' instead of 'toilets', 'coverted' instead of 'converted', and 'priavte' instead of 'private'. Furthermore, the student relies on repetition of basic functional vocabulary. While less common vocabulary is attempted with reasonable clarity, the presence of spelling mistakes and awkward phrasing keeps the lexical score within the Band 6 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating clauses of time and condition ('previously there was only one section... but now one more section has been added'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several missing articles and prepositions (e.g., 'changes that took place in harbour', 'two car park', 'Marina... replaced by fishing boats now'), as well as occasional punctuation issues and run-on phrasing. Errors occur frequently across the text, though they rarely impede overall communication. The control over grammar is characteristic of a Band 6 performance.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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