Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-03
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 architectural plans compare the changes in a harbour in 2000 with today.
Overall, it is clear that a new row for Dock, showers and toilets, and cafes and shops were added in the last few years. Moreover, a Public beach and a castle were changed into a Private beach and a Hotel.
Looking at the data in detail, in the North-west corner there was a street that connected the Car park with Main road and along with parking there were Showers and Toilets and Marina . Only Marina was converted into Fishing boats and all other things were un-changed. Furthermore, in the North-East corner a new Dock was added for Passenger Ferries.
Regarding South, the Car Park was attached with seperate road that leads toward Lifeboat and now it get directly access from Main road and a new Showers and Toilets were included and along with this Fishing Boats was converted into Private Yachts. The Road that leads towards Life boat is now splits into two halves in which one give access to the Hotel that was first Castle which is disused and right along Lifeboat a new cafes and shops were provided.
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
You have successfully identified the main features of the harbour and made relevant comparisons between the two time periods. You covered the key changes, such as the addition of the dock, the conversion of the castle into a hotel, and the modifications to the road layout. However, the report lacks a clear, concise overview paragraph that synthesizes the most significant trends, such as the shift from a more industrial/functional harbour to a more commercial and tourist-oriented facility. While you mention some changes in the introduction, a more structured summary of the overall transformation would improve the clarity of your response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear progression from an introduction to detailed descriptions of the North-west, North-east, and Southern areas. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'Regarding', which help the reader follow the narrative. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where the description of the road splitting becomes difficult to follow. Improving the flow between sentences would help the reader visualize the spatial changes more effectively.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'converted', 'disused', and 'architectural plans'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'get directly access' instead of 'gains direct access' and 'a new Showers and Toilets were included'. Additionally, some phrasing is repetitive, and the use of articles is inconsistent (e.g., 'a new Dock', 'a new Showers'). Expanding your range to include more precise descriptive language for spatial changes would elevate your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('a new Showers and Toilets were included') and article usage ('a new Dock', 'the Car park with Main road'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some awkward spacing around commas and conjunctions. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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