Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-03
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 image illustrates the plans of the original Porth Harbour in 2000, along with its modern plan today.
Overall, both plans are quite a bit similar but several new developments have been made to Porth Harbour in the modern plan, highlighting significant infrastructure changes to effectively utilize the available resources and to expand commercial facilities and improve accessibility.
Porth Harbour in 2000 had Mariana (private yachts) in the north-west along with showers and car parking. Fishing boats to its south, with a road that was linked to the main road that provided access to both areas.A castle that was disused was also located in the south-eastern part of the plan, along a lifeboat facility to its west. A public beach area was also reserved at its northern end.
Porth Harbour today, is managed more efficiently than the original plan, with Mariana yachts having cafes and shops to its east providing essential needs within Porth Harbour. The misused castle was also turned into a hotel with a private beach to its south, a perfect holiday spot for the public. An additional shower & toilets were also built beside the fishing boats.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response attempts to describe the main changes shown in the maps, but the coverage is somewhat incomplete and lacks precision in reporting key spatial relocations. For instance, the student states that 'Mariana yachts having cafes and shops to its east', which misinterprets the layout since the marina and fishing boat areas were swapped between the two years. Furthermore, the overview mentions general developments but fails to clearly highlight the most striking transformations, such as the inversion of the marina and fishing boat zones and the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel. The ideas are present and relevant, but several spatial features are under-developed or imprecise, preventing a fully clear and comprehensive account of the visual data.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a discernible introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding overview structure, though paragraphing is somewhat irregular. Logical progression is attempted, but referencing between sentences is occasionally mechanical or unclear, such as the abrupt transition into the second body paragraph beginning with 'Porth Harbour in 2000 had...'. Cohesive devices are used, but some phrases feel slightly disjointed or lack smooth transitional links, leading to a progression that could be more fluid. Overall, the text is understandable, but the organizational structure requires tighter logical sequencing and more skilful referencing to guide the reader effortlessly through the comparisons.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate to communicate the basic comparison, but it suffers from noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and collocation. For example, 'Mariana' is repeatedly misspelled instead of 'Marina', and phrases like 'quite a bit similar' are colloquial rather than appropriate for academic writing. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'infrastructure changes' and 'managed more efficiently', but inaccuracies in term usage—such as referring to a 'misused castle' instead of a 'disused' one—impede precision. While meaning is generally conveyed, the limited control over lexical items and spelling slips restricts the overall quality of the vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in prepositions, article usage, and sentence fragments, such as 'Fishing boats to its south, with a road that was linked...' and 'Porth Harbour today, is managed more efficiently...', where comma splices and missing main verbs occur. Relative clauses and passive structures are attempted, but errors in punctuation and structural completeness persist and occasionally cause confusion. The presence of these frequent grammatical slips means that the majority of sentences are not error-free, placing the writing firmly in the mid-range for grammatical accuracy.
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