Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-01

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 picture above compares the Porth Harbour in the 2000 vs today.

We can see many changes in the Porth Harbour over the years.

Firstly, both of the beaches were public beaches but today one is a private beach and the other remains for the public.

The fishing boats area, now has Marina (private yatchs), whereas the private yatch area is now used as a fishing boats area.

There has been an addition of a new showers an toilets space too.

The first picture has two passenger ferries whereas the second picture shows three passenger ferries.

Also, one of the most interesting changes have been the Castle. It has now become a hotel for the tourists with the formation of a road leading towards the hotel and what an incredible place it would be, with such an amazing view.

Also, new cafes and shops have made it a fun spot to meet new people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially by identifying several key changes between the two maps, such as the relocation of the fishing boats and marina, the transformation of the disused castle into a hotel, and the addition of cafés and shops. However, the overview is missing, and some of the reported details are inaccurate or unsupported by the visual data, such as claiming there are three passenger ferries in the second picture or noting an increase in their number. Additionally, the student includes personal opinions and commentary, such as 'what an incredible place it would be', which is inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 response where an objective tone is required. To improve, the writer needs to provide a clear summary overview of the main trends and adhere strictly to factual reporting without adding subjective commentary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response lacks a clear overall progression and logical paragraph structure. Many sentences are written as isolated paragraphs or single-sentence blocks, particularly at the end of the text, which disrupts the flow and cohesion of the report. While some basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly' and 'whereas' are used, referencing is sometimes mechanical or imprecise. For instance, moving abruptly between the marina, the showers and toilets, passenger ferries, and the hotel creates a disjointed reading experience. To achieve a higher band, the writer must group related information logically into well-developed paragraphs and use a wider variety of cohesive links to guide the reader smoothly through the spatial and temporal comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate to convey basic information about the harbour's changes, featuring attempts at less common items such as 'relocation' or descriptive phrases. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, including spelling mistakes like 'yatchs' instead of 'yachts' and grammatical-lexical slips such as 'an showers an toilets space'. Word choice is sometimes repetitive or slightly imprecise, and the tone occasionally lapses into informal conversational language rather than formal academic style. To improve, the student should expand their range of vocabulary for describing spatial changes, ensure accurate spelling of terms shown on the maps, and maintain a formal, objective register throughout the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic complex forms. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly with article usage and plurals, such as 'both of the beaches were public beaches', 'now has Marina', and 'an showers an toilets space'. Subject-verb agreement is also unsteady, as seen in 'one of the most interesting changes have been the Castle'. These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To reach a higher band, the student needs to incorporate a wider variety of complex structures with greater control, paying closer attention to articles, prepositions, and pluralisation to ensure error-free sentences.

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