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 two maps above describe the clear and complete infrastrusture of Porth Harbour in the year of 2000 and how much it is changed today.
The overview of both maps illustrate the major changes in the Porth Harbour in 2000 and today. That includes the addition of docks, toilets and replacement of castle. Also there is the change in the position of some spots.
In 2000, the Porth Harbour comprised of to main car parkings connected with main road. There was a toilet along with north pole car parking. On the right side to this car parking and toilet there was an area for private yachts. On the right side of other car parking there is the area alloted to fishing boats. There was only one dock along with public beach and there was another public beach at the side of castle, which was open for public. Site of life boat is near to catle.
Nowadays, this plan is completely changed. There are two docks instead of one and castle is replaced with hotel. For that reason, the area become commercial so the beach in that area also become private which is only for the persons staying at hotel. Now both the car parkings are follow by the toilets along with them. There is also an addition of cafes and shops near lifeboat spot. The number of ships are also increses and there is the switching in the psotions of fishing boats and marina. Before the fishing boats were in south direction but now these are in north direction.
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 candidate successfully covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two maps of Porth Harbour. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting major changes such as dock additions and the replacement of the castle. Key spatial shifts are reported, such as the switching of positions between the fishing boats and the marina, and the transformation of the disused castle into a hotel with a private beach. While the summary is generally accurate, there are some minor inaccuracies in feature placement (e.g., describing north and south positions colloquially), but overall, the task is adequately addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from an introductory overview to body paragraphs detailing the past and present layouts. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, past features, and present changes. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent reliance on 'On the right side of...' and 'There is/was...'. Referencing is occasionally slightly unclear, but overall cohesion is sufficient to guide the reader through the comparison.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The candidate demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'infrastructure', 'replacement', 'commercial', and 'relocated' (implicitly through descriptions). However, there are notable word-choice and spelling errors, such as 'infrastrusture', 'car parkings', 'alloted', 'increses', and 'psotions'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy, placing this response firmly in the Band 6 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The two maps above describe...' and 'Before the fishing boats were in south direction but now these are in north direction.' There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing instances, including missing articles ('in south direction'), incorrect prepositions ('at the side of castle'), and verb tense inconsistencies. However, these errors rarely impede overall communication.
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