Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-11
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 map below demonstrates a Harbour in the year 2000 and what it looks like in current days.
Overall, the car park is built and attached to the main road. The showers and toilets area are also built near the car park in the south. The Marina and fishing boats have exchanged their location.
In current days the cafe and shops were also added near the lifeboat in the south area and after the road where the castle was removed and instead of castle the hotel has been constructed. The main feature is also that there are two entrance attached with the main road.
Moreover, there are two docks available and the place were fishing boats and marina location is exchanged. There also a road has been built up in current time attached with the hotel. The public beach did not have any type of significant changes across the years.
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, such as the addition of the car park, hotel, and cafe. However, the description is somewhat disjointed and lacks a clear overview of the most significant changes. While you mention that the marina and fishing boats swapped locations, the report lacks precision in describing the spatial layout. The summary is present but could be more analytical by grouping features logically (e.g., transport infrastructure vs. commercial facilities). Some details, such as the 'two entrance' mention, are slightly unclear in their relation to the map. To improve, ensure you provide a more cohesive summary of the overall transformation rather than listing changes in a fragmented manner.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is abrupt. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'the place were fishing boats and marina location is exchanged', which makes the sentence structure difficult to follow. The progression of ideas is present but lacks a smooth flow, often relying on simple sentence connectors. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to previously mentioned features would enhance the overall coherence of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range expected for higher bands. You use basic terms like 'built', 'added', and 'removed' repeatedly. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, there is little evidence of less common lexical items or sophisticated collocations related to map description. Phrases like 'in current days' and 'built up in current time' are slightly unnatural. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more descriptive verbs and nouns, such as 'transformed', 'replaced', 'extended', or 'redeveloped', to provide a more professional tone appropriate for an academic report.
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 occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'the place were fishing boats and marina location is exchanged' contains a relative clause error and tense inconsistency. There are also issues with articles ('the castle', 'the hotel') and subject-verb agreement ('there are two entrance'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on consistent tense usage—specifically using the present perfect for changes that have occurred—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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