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 maps illustrates how the Harbour changes overall design as compared to back in 2000.

Most of the changes can be easily seen in increasing public recreation, road access to car park and more shops for public.

The main road was reconstructed to get direct access to the parking area and public areas for much easier access. Public area sites which were not much developed in 2000 and left unused went throught the most visible changes. Such as renovating old underutilized castleinto a hotel and private beach. This became much more attractive for the visitors.

The dock was doubled to meet new high demands of tourist.

Much of the other things were left untouched and only involved some relocation of the fishing and Yachts.

Overall, Harbour experienced much changes involving public areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. While you identify key features such as the road reconstruction, the hotel conversion, and the expansion of the dock, the analysis is underdeveloped. You mention 'most of the changes' but do not provide enough detail or specific comparisons between the two time periods to fully satisfy the task requirements. To improve, ensure you describe the layout in 2000 more clearly and contrast it with the present day, providing a more comprehensive summary of the visual data provided in the maps.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, body, and a brief concluding sentence. However, the paragraphing is insufficient, as the response is essentially one block of text. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'public areas'. The logical flow is present, but the progression of ideas is hindered by the lack of clear transitions between the different developments described. To improve, use a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'in contrast', 'subsequently') and organize your points into distinct, well-developed paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range expected at higher bands. You rely on simple descriptors like 'much changes' and 'much of the other things', which are imprecise. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'meet new high demands of tourist' (should be 'tourists') and 'underutilized castleinto' (spelling error). To achieve a higher score, incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to urban planning and map description, such as 'transformed', 'expanded', 'renovated', and 'reconfigured', while ensuring accurate word choice and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The maps illustrates', 'Harbour experienced much changes') and missing articles ('to car park', 'to the parking area'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around words like 'castleinto'. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, consistent use of articles, and proofreading for basic mechanical errors. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures will also help demonstrate better grammatical control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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