Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-03
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 maps illustrate how the harbour changed between 2000 and the present day.
Overall, some areas are developed in new locations and some places transformed into a new location. The new areas are added which are hotel, cafes & shops and private beach.
In the year 2000, the main road was located in western side of the map and it still remained at the same place. Then, in the south side, there was castle which is was converted into a hotel. Also, added one road which connect with hotel. In addition, besides the hotel, public beach transformed into a private beach especially for the hotel members. Shower and toilet had only one place which was in northern west side but after constructing added one shower and toilet area near large car parking.
Today, the increasing numbers of the boats for a passenger ferries. Fishing boats and marina exchanged the place with each others. Near the lifeboat region, cafes and shops are made in south side. The another public beach which was on the north side of the map it is still on the same place.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the harbour's transformation, such as the conversion of the castle into a hotel and the addition of new facilities. However, the overview is somewhat weak and lacks a clear summary of the most significant changes. While the response identifies key developments, some descriptions are imprecise, such as 'some areas are developed in new locations,' which is vague. To improve, you should focus on clearly contrasting the 'before' and 'after' states with more precise terminology, ensuring that all major changes—like the expansion of the car park or the relocation of the marina—are clearly highlighted and compared.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical. For instance, the use of 'Then' and 'Also' at the start of sentences feels repetitive and lacks sophistication. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'The another public beach,' which is grammatically awkward and disrupts the logical progression. To achieve a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices (e.g., 'consequently,' 'in contrast,' 'furthermore') to link ideas more fluidly and ensure that the transition between the description of the 2000 layout and the present day is more seamless.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to describe the changes to the harbour. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'exchanged the place with each others' and 'the another public beach.' These errors occasionally hinder the clarity of the description. To improve, you should aim to use more precise vocabulary related to maps and urban development, such as 'redeveloped,' 'relocated,' or 'converted.' Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and ensuring correct prepositional usage will help you convey information with greater precision and naturalness.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the quality of the writing. Examples include 'there was castle which is was converted' (redundant verb usage), 'added one road which connect with hotel' (missing subject/article), and 'the increasing numbers of the boats for a passenger ferries' (incorrect preposition and article usage). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject will significantly improve your grammatical accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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