Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-29

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 diagram illustrates the main features of Porth Harbour in the year 2000 and today's Porth Harbour.

In the year 2000, there were two car parkings which were accessible from the main road. One was on the lower west and other was on the north west of the map. On the north side there was showers and tiolets for the individuals. There was one dock at the centre which also connects marina and place for fishing boats. Over the dock area there was a way to the public beach. The main road was further divided into a small road which lead the visitors to the life boats section. On the lower east side there was castle which was also connected with the public beach.

But, in the contemporary era, there are two dock areas instead of one. The location of fishing boats and marina has beeen changed in the sea. The main road, car parks and shower and tiolets are at the same location. The numbers of shower and tiolet have been raised to two. The road on the south side now leads to the lifeboat area and asa well as to the cafes and shop which only leads to the lifeboat area in 2000. the castle changed into hotel and private beach is at the same location.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student addresses the task by identifying several main features of Porth Harbour in 2000 and today, noting changes such as the swapped locations of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of new facilities like cafés and shops, and the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel. However, the summary lacks a clear, overarching overview paragraph, which is a key requirement for a Band 7+ score in Academic Task 1. Some descriptions are also slightly imprecise, such as describing the dock connecting the marina and fishing boats. Overall, the response covers the main developments but remains somewhat descriptive and lacks a synthesized overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay is divided into two paragraphs corresponding to the two time periods, which provides a basic logical framework. However, progression is somewhat disjointed due to limited use of cohesive devices and mechanical linking words like 'But, in the contemporary era'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the internal organisation within paragraphs lacks sophisticated flow. Paragraphing is present, but the overall structure could be improved to better contrast the two time periods systematically.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common collocations such as 'contemporary era' and 'passenger ferries'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('tiolets' for toilets, 'asa' instead of as) and awkward word choices ('car parkings', 'lower west'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying heavily on basic terms to describe the map features, which restricts the lexical score to a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'In the year 2000, there were two car parkings which were accessible from the main road.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the numbers of shower and tiolet have been raised'), incorrect prepositions ('on the lower west and other was on the north west'), and awkward phrasing ('which only leads to the lifeboat area in 2000'). These errors occasionally cause slight strain for the reader.

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