Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-10

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 diagrams illustrate the porth harbour in 2000 and how it appearance today.

Overall, the most noticeable thing is that in 2000 castle (disused) towards the southeast. While today is hotel at the same place. Whereas today some new thing are added.

In 2000 the west side of porth harbour on main road. Whereas in the middle the dock and passenger ferries. While the north side the public beach. On the north west side the showers & toilets and car park and marina (private yachts). On the south west side has also car park and fishing boats. On the south side the road and life boat. While the south east side the castle (disused) and public beach.

In today the porth harbour the west side and north side are remained same. Whereas in the middle one dock increase. On the north west side marina replaced by fishing boats and other thing remained same. On the south west side fishing boats replaced by marina and one thing new added showers & toilets. On the south side cafes & shops are new added. On the south east side castle replaced by hotel and public beach replaced by private beach.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main transformation from the disused castle to a hotel and report several relevant changes, including the relocation of the marina and fishing boats and the addition of cafés and shops. However, the overview is limited: “some new thing are added” does not summarise the overall pattern of development, and several details are inaccurate or unclear. For example, the public beach in the south is not replaced by a private beach; it becomes a private beach for the hotel, while the north-eastern public beach remains. The dock gains an additional jetty and has two boats, rather than simply increasing by one dock. A clearer overview and more precise reporting of the key changes would make the response more complete and accurate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, moving from an overview to descriptions of 2000 and today, so the reader can follow the broad comparison. However, progression within the paragraphs is often mechanical and repetitive. Repeated openings such as “On the north west side” and “On the south side,” together with frequent “Whereas” and “While,” make the account read like a list rather than a connected summary. Some links also create incomplete or awkward relationships, as in “While today is hotel at the same place.” Grouping related changes—for example, harbour facilities, water-use changes, and the southern headland—would improve the flow. Use a smaller range of accurate linking expressions and make each comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “marina,” “passenger ferries,” “car park,” and “castle (disused),” which helps communicate the locations and facilities. However, the range is limited and several phrases are imprecise or unnatural, such as “some new thing are added,” “one dock increase,” and “other thing remained same.” Repetition of “side,” “new,” and “replaced” also restricts the description. Some word forms and spelling reduce clarity, including “life boat” and “porth harbour” where the place name should be capitalised. Build a more varied set of accurate terms for describing map changes, such as “relocated,” “converted into,” “added,” and “remained unchanged,” and use them in natural collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response relies mainly on short, simple statements and fragments, with limited control of more complex comparisons. Errors occur frequently and sometimes make relationships difficult to interpret. For example, “The diagrams illustrate the porth harbour in 2000 and how it appearance today” has an incorrect noun phrase and verb form, while “On the south west side has also car park” lacks a clear subject. Several clauses beginning “While” or “Whereas” are incomplete, including “While today is hotel at the same place.” There are also problems with articles, agreement, and tense, as in “some new thing are added.” Practise complete subject–verb sentences and use past and present forms consistently; then combine comparisons with accurate clauses rather than sentence fragments.

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