Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-17
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 evolution of Porth Harbour of how it looks in 2000 and of today's world is represented and explained with changes in them.
In 2000 Porth Harbour from Main road towards south has showers and toilets and Car park but now shower and toilets are also placed with another Car park with their facing swapped between Marina (private yachts) and Fishing boats.In 2000 there was less boats in East from road near Dock and Passenger ferries that are now increased due to more demand.While swapping of boats and yachts shows that yachts are surrounded by Cafes & shops so more people can come there.The road that headed towards Lifeboat now has now one more path that leads to Hotel before that their was Castle that was disused and had no path to reach there.The Public beach near Castle is now replaced with Private beach built specially for the hotel so people near hotel can enjoy beach parties.
The world of Porth Harbour in 2000 was old school and simple while in today's world Porth Harbour has cafes,shops,and hotels for public making it a more modern and exciting place.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify several important changes, including the relocation of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafés and shops, and the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel and private beach. However, the response only partly summarises the plans: it lacks a clear overview of the main transformation, and some details are inaccurate or unsupported. For example, the text says the beach near the castle was replaced, but the southern beach is relabelled private while the north-eastern public beach remains. The claim that passenger ferries increased “due to more demand” is not established by the maps. Focus on observable changes and compare the two plans directly, including the dock and facilities, rather than adding explanations about why changes occurred.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response contains relevant information and generally moves from changes around the harbour to the hotel and beach. However, it is presented as one dense paragraph, and there is no distinct overview to guide the reader through the main changes. Several links are difficult to follow, particularly “but now shower and toilets are also placed with another Car park with their facing swapped,” where the relationship between the facilities, marina and fishing boats is unclear. The final contrast between “old school and simple” and “modern and exciting” repeats a general impression rather than summarising specific developments. Use separate paragraphs for an overview and key details, and organise comparisons by location or type of change. More precise linking would make the progression easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “Marina (private yachts),” “Passenger ferries,” “disused” and “replaced,” which helps identify features of the plans. However, the range is limited and several choices are informal, vague or awkward for an academic map description. Phrases such as “today’s world,” “old school,” “more exciting place” and “beach parties” introduce conversational or speculative language instead of precise description. “Facing swapped” is also an unclear way to describe the changed locations of the marina and fishing boats. Aim for accurate terms such as “relocated,” “converted” and “remained unchanged,” and describe only what the plans show. This would make the account more precise and appropriately formal.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
There are attempts to combine ideas in longer sentences, but complex structures are often faulty, and errors sometimes make relationships between features hard to understand. The opening, “The evolution of Porth Harbour of how it looks,” has an unclear grammatical structure. In “In 2000 Porth Harbour from Main road towards south has showers,” the subject and location pattern are not formed clearly. Tense and agreement also need attention, as in “their was Castle,” while “now has now” repeats the verb phrase. Punctuation is inconsistent, with missing spaces after full stops and commas. Practise clear comparative patterns such as “In 2000, X was located…, whereas today…” and check each sentence for a clear subject, verb and time reference.
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