Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-04
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 two plans represent the Port Harbour as it was in 2000 and today after certain redevelopments have been made.
The plan shows the construction of a new road that leads to the hotel, which was previously a disused Castle. Accommodations for more boats have been made by creating more space for docks. The positions of the Marina and the Fishing boats are now interchanged. The public beach located south-west of the castle is now made private for the hotel.
In 2000, there was a disused castle located east of the main road, now replaced with the Hotel. Cafes and shops are now opened alongside lifeboat. Showers and toilets are also made available for larger car park, previously unavailable in the larger car park just below the smaller car park.
The larger car park is now connected to the main road by a small road, previously connected to the road emerging from the main road.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the harbour redevelopment, such as the hotel, the road, and the changes to the docks and parking. However, the overview is missing; a successful Task 1 response must include a clear summary of the most significant trends or changes. The description of the car park area is somewhat confusing and lacks precision, making it difficult for the reader to visualize the changes. To improve, ensure you provide a clear opening summary of the overall transformation and organize the body paragraphs more logically, perhaps by grouping changes by area (e.g., land-side vs. water-side).
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow between sentences is occasionally disjointed. For instance, the transition between the discussion of the hotel and the car park is abrupt. While some cohesive devices are used, such as 'previously' and 'now', the referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the second paragraph where the description of the car park connections becomes repetitive and difficult to follow. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision required for a higher band. Phrases like 'made private' or 'made available' are functional but repetitive. There are also some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'interchanged' when describing the positions of the marina and fishing boats, which is slightly imprecise. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more specific vocabulary related to map descriptions, such as 'transformed into', 'relocated', 'extended', or 'converted'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that affect clarity, such as 'Cafes and shops are now opened alongside lifeboat' (missing articles and awkward phrasing) and 'previously unavailable in the larger car park just below the smaller car park' (a fragmented, confusing clause). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence structure in the final paragraph is somewhat convoluted. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles would significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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