Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-05

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 Porth Harbour plan illustrates that lots of modification has been changed from 2000 to privide good facilities. In previous plans their were unused area such as castle and fishing boat etc that had been replace with hotels and marina private yachts, today this palce is contributing in bussiness and public facilities.

The main road, two car parking, showers & toilets, life boat and public beach remained unchaged because it were already in right place. The one dock part had increased from width side and another is eliminated in recent palns. The public beaches is replaced by private one which is now associated with hotel.

During the recent modification in palns, the cafes and shops is construced which is near by road. In 2000, it was possible to port the three boat near beach, now only 2 boat capacity is left. The road below lifeboat area extended to meet the hotel. Overall, new plans providing more facilities and making easy to reach different palces.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad change from a less developed harbour to one with more visitor facilities, and you mention several relevant features, including the hotel, marina, cafés and shops, and the private beach. However, some key comparisons are inaccurate or unclear. The public beach has not been replaced: the northern public beach remains, while the southern beach becomes private. The dock gains an additional jetty rather than simply changing width, and the boat capacity is not described accurately by saying three boats could be berthed near the beach and only two remain. The overview also misses the important exchange of locations between the fishing boats and marina. Select the main changes precisely and distinguish the two beaches and harbour areas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an opening summary, followed by paragraphs describing retained features and later developments, then a concluding statement. This gives the reader a basic progression through the comparison. However, some links between ideas are unclear, and references such as “the one dock part” and “another is eliminated” do not make it clear which structures you mean. The sequence also moves between features without consistently grouping them by location or type of change. Organise the report around major changes—for example, harbour facilities, transport and access, and the southern shoreline—and use clear references such as “the northern public beach” and “the southern beach” to make comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “marina,” “lifeboat,” “public beach,” and “car parking,” and you attempt to describe change with phrases such as “remained unchanged” and “replaced.” However, the range and control of vocabulary are limited, with several spelling errors and imprecise expressions that make parts difficult to understand. Examples include “privide,” “palce,” “bussiness,” and “palces,” as well as “the one dock part had increased from width side,” which does not clearly describe the added jetty. “Modification” is also repeated where more precise terms such as “redevelopment” or “changes” would fit. Build a bank of accurate map-change verbs and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “which is now associated with hotel” and a time contrast beginning “During the recent modification.” However, grammatical errors occur frequently and sometimes make relationships between features difficult to follow. For example, “lots of modification has been changed” has an incorrect verb pattern, while “their were unused area” contains errors in agreement and number. In “the cafes and shops is construced,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “it were already in right place” has problems with agreement and article use. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and subject–verb agreement, and use shorter, controlled sentences when comparing locations.

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