Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-05
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 compare development in porth port between since 2000 and today.
Overall, cafes, shops and hotel are new intoduction in the harbour for public. While, showers, toilets and dock increased by one. Instead of huge reconstruction, port has a tiny changes in various places like Fishing boats and Marina.
Firstly, Disused fortress has been replaced by the hotel with private beach also. Meanwhile, cafes and shops are new constructed beside lifeboat area. Additionally, car park has now connected with the main road which first joint with the lifeboat area to main highway. Followed by this, showers and toilets were added by the one just near by southern car parking.
Secondly, public beach and passenger ferries are on the same place where they were in 2000. However, one more dock service incline beside the previous one. Meanwhile, fishing boats and private yachts changed thier places respectively. In addtion to this, main road has not any dramatic changes.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by presenting an overview of the changes in Porth Harbour between 2000 and the present day, along with relevant comparisons. Key features such as the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel, the addition of cafes and shops, and the swapping of locations for fishing boats and the marina are identified. However, some ideas remain slightly under-developed or vague, such as the statement that 'showers, toilets and dock increased by one,' which lacks precise contextual detail. While a clear overview is provided in the second paragraph, deeper reporting of certain specific spatial shifts would lift the response to a higher level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Information is generally ordered logically, moving from general changes to specific alterations. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, with transitional phrases like 'Firstly,' 'Secondly,' and 'Followed by this' feeling slightly repetitive or awkwardly integrated. Referencing and logical progression between sentences occasionally falter, such as abrupt transitions within the third paragraph regarding the car park and road adjustments. To improve, the writer should employ a wider and more seamless variety of cohesive devices to guide the reader effortlessly through the comparative details.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
An adequate vocabulary range is employed to fulfill the task requirements, enabling the writer to discuss modifications to the harbour features. There are several attempts to use less common items, such as 'reconstruction' and 'respectively,' though these are sometimes accompanied by word-choice and collocation errors, as seen in phrases like 'new intoduction' and 'new constructed.' Spelling and word-form slips, including 'intoduction' and 'thier,' are present but do not impede overall communication. To achieve a higher score, the student needs to demonstrate greater precision in word selection and ensure accurate spelling and morphological forms throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to vary grammatical structures. However, control is inconsistent, with frequent errors in articles, prepositions, and tense usage, such as 'development in porth port between since 2000' and 'has not any dramatic changes.' Other errors include missing articles ('replaced by the hotel') and awkward phrasing in passive constructions. While these mistakes rarely impede overall communication, the presence of frequent grammatical slips prevents the writing from achieving a higher level of accuracy and structural flexibility.
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