Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-06
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 map dispays how the porth harbour had trasformed after 2000 and how it looks nowdays.
Overall, map shows the significant development, more showers and toilets are added while private yachts and fishing boat areas are swapped with each others. New cafe & shopes are constructed along with the road, catle is demolished.
In 2000, there is one showers & toilets in the west however now one more is constructed between the car parks. Marina space in 2000 are now became space for fishing boats, moreover fishing area became marina, new cafes and shopes are constructed adjacent to it.
In the center the one more dock is constructed for the passenger ferries, public beach remained same as before. Castle on the south-east of map are now demolished, A new hotel is constructed over it. A tinny Public beach area on left side of castle are now the private bech for the hotel
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two maps, such as noting that the private yachts and fishing boat areas were swapped and that the castle was replaced by a hotel. However, some areas are under-developed or lack precision. For instance, the mention of the dock in the center is slightly inaccurate based on the visual data, and several key changes like the addition of the second set of showers and toilets are described somewhat vaguely. Despite these limitations, an overview is successfully attempted, satisfying the requirements for this band level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement and attempts to group information logically, using paragraphing to separate the introduction, overview, and body details. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty. Transition markers and cohesive devices are basic, and referencing is not always clear, such as in sentences like 'Marina space in 2000 are now became space for fishing boats'. Progression throughout the text feels slightly disjointed due to abrupt shifts between spatial locations without smooth linking.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The lexical range used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic comparisons about the harbour's transformation. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'significant development' and 'demolished', but these are accompanied by notable inaccuracies in word choice, spelling, and word form, including 'dispays', 'porth', 'trasformed', 'nowdays', 'shopes', 'catle', and 'tinny'. While communication is generally maintained, these errors prevent the vocabulary score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ability to describe past and present states. However, there are frequent errors in verb forms, tense consistency, and subject-verb agreement throughout the text. Examples include 'the map dispays how the porth harbour had trasformed', 'there is one showers & toilets', 'Marina space in 2000 are now became space', and 'Castle on the south-east of map are now demolished'. These grammar and punctuation errors occasionally strain comprehension, though they do not completely impede communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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