Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-04

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 given map compares the seaport condition in 2000 and in today.

Overall the harbour has more space for passenger boats today rather than in 2000. meanwhile nowadays seaport has been packed with shops and cafes in contrast with 2000.

The harbour in 2000 has some shops beside main road and also a dock on the east of main road alond with public beach. Then a small road emerged from main road which has car parking across it and also fishing boat area and a castle. On the south west of the casthe there was also a public beach.

The seaport today is much packed with shops,toilets and casfes. The dock has more space for passenger ships and the castle has been turned into hotel and the south west beach of castle as been reserved as private beach of hotel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the score. While you have identified the main features of the harbour, such as the expansion of the dock and the conversion of the castle, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview. The summary provided is brief and does not fully highlight the significant changes, such as the removal of the public beach or the addition of specific infrastructure. To improve, ensure you provide a more detailed comparison of the spatial changes and ensure the response meets the length requirement to allow for full development of the key features.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical progression is hindered by repetitive sentence structures and a lack of varied cohesive devices. Phrases like 'The harbour in 2000' and 'The seaport today' are used as the start of almost every sentence, making the flow feel mechanical. You should use a wider variety of linking words and transition signals, such as 'whereas', 'subsequently', or 'in contrast', to connect your ideas more fluidly. Additionally, ensure that referencing is clear; for example, 'the south west of the casthe' lacks a clear antecedent in the previous sentence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. You rely heavily on simple descriptors like 'packed', 'small', and 'main'. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'seaport', 'passenger ships'), but the range is limited. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more precise, academic vocabulary to describe the changes, such as 'transformed', 'expanded', 'redeveloped', or 'converted'. Furthermore, there are minor spelling errors, such as 'alond' instead of 'along' and 'casfes' instead of 'cafes', which should be avoided through careful proofreading.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For instance, 'The given map compares the seaport condition in 2000 and in today' is awkward; it would be better phrased as 'compares the condition of the seaport in 2000 with that of today'. There are also issues with article usage ('the castle', 'a castle') and prepositional errors. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage when describing past and present states.

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

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