Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-30

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 Porth Harbour between the year 2000 and the present.

Overall, the area underwent significant changes such as many tourist spots were constructed and the expansion of dock. While some features like the main road, the public beach in the north remained unchanged, several new facilities including cafes, shops and a hotel were added and some existing features such as fishing boats were replaced.

In 2000, Porth Harbour consisted of car parks, a Castle and a dock. The car parking was located in the west of the harbour connecting to the main road, while the castle was situated in the south beside the public beach. In addition, the dock was located in the north.

Currently, the area has changed considerably. The Castle was replaced by a hotel, while the public beach was converted into a private beach under the management of the hotel. Furthermore, cafes and shops were constructed in the middle of the harbour. However, the lifeboat remains in the same location.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student covers the main changes between 2000 and today, noting key developments such as the replacement of the castle with a hotel, the conversion of the public beach into a private beach, and the addition of cafes and shops. A clear overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the overall transformation of Porth Harbour. However, some of the specific spatial shifts—such as the swapping of positions between the marina and the fishing boats—are omitted, meaning the response does not cover every single prominent feature. Still, the selection is generally effective for a Task 1 response, earning a solid band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is logically organized into four paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, a description of the past layout, and finally the current layout. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as "Overall," "While," "In addition," and "Currently." However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, for instance stating "The car parking was located in the west" when the map shows specific car parks rather than a generalized area. Paragraphing is appropriate and overall progression is clear, supporting a band 6.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, incorporating appropriate terms related to maps and features, such as "illustrate," "constructed," "expansion," "relocated" (implied), and "facilities." There are some minor awkwardness issues, such as "the expansion of dock" missing an article, and "car parking" instead of "car parks." Nonetheless, the student attempts less common vocabulary like "considerably" and "under the management of," which are used fairly accurately, placing the lexical range firmly at band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses introduced by "while" and "as." Grammatical control is generally decent, but there are a few noticeable errors, such as "such as many tourist spots were constructed and the expansion of dock" which suffers from parallel structure issues, and the missing article in "expansion of dock." Punctuation is mostly accurate, and errors do not impede communication. This performance aligns with the descriptors for band 6.0.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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