Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-12

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 plan illustrates a comparison between seaport in 2000 and how it looks now.

Overall, variety of changes take place just like fishing boat plus marine private yachts take place of eachother. Along with that cafe, market areas as well as castle replaced to a hotel. Meanwhile some things remain constant like main roads, car parks, life boat also public beach.

In detail, things which are replaced are fishing areas was shifted to north side of port and private yachts on the south side. Furthermore, castle was changed to a hotel there also public beach in 2000 was changed to a private beach. Therefore, bathrooms were added above another car park which is constructed along y axis on the west side beside of past parking area. However know one more dock was formulated aside of the past dock.

In addition, various things remains same just like main roads, lifeboat, passenger ferries or older dock. Accordingly, old car parks, boats also older roads doesn't changed. Same path way as it was in the past.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall changes, especially the exchange of the fishing-boat and private-yacht areas, the castle’s replacement by a hotel, and the change from a public to a private beach. You also note that the main road and lifeboat remain. These are relevant features and give the response a clear overview. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the public beach that becomes private is the southern beach, while the north-eastern public beach remains; the response does not mention the new cafés and shops, and it says the older dock remains without explaining that it gains another jetty and a second berthed boat. The car-park and facilities changes are also difficult to follow. More precise coverage of these developments would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. It also groups major changes separately from features said to remain, which helps the reader follow the comparison. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and several linking expressions feel mechanical or do not show the relationship accurately. For example, “Therefore” introduces the facilities and car-park changes without a clear cause-and-effect link, while “Accordingly” does not clarify the list of unchanged features. References such as “another car park,” “past parking area,” and “older dock” are not always precise. To improve, organise the details by location or by changed versus unchanged features, and use clear references and simpler transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of vocabulary relevant to maps, including “shifted,” “replaced,” “constructed,” and “remain,” and the reader can generally understand the intended changes. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “seaport” for the harbour, “variety of changes take place,” “market areas” for cafés and shops, and “dock was formulated.” Some terms are also used inconsistently: “fishing areas” does not clearly identify the fishing boats, and “bathrooms” is less suitable than the map label “showers and toilets.” Aim for precise map vocabulary and natural collocations, and use the labels shown in the visual when they are specific. This would make your descriptions clearer and more accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use both simple statements and attempts at longer structures, including “Meanwhile some things remain constant…” and “Therefore, bathrooms were added…”. However, errors in agreement, tense, articles, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to interpret. Examples include “a comparison between seaport,” “variety of changes take place,” “fishing areas was shifted,” and “various things remains same.” The final fragments, “Same path way as it was in the past,” also lack a complete sentence structure. Practise forming clear subject–verb patterns and maintaining past tense for changes between 2000 and today. Check articles and plural forms, and make sure each sentence has a complete main clause.

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