Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-07

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 maps are an illustration of the Port of Harbour in 2000 and presently.

Overall, there were some changes that are unchanged, hotel, cafes and shops are built today.

In 2000, there were two car parking which were connected to the main road, road was also linked with the lifeboat which was located in the center of the port. There was an area of showers and toilets on the western side. There were private yachts Marina, and fishing boats which were in the river. There was a small ferry that was only used by passengers to travel from one place to another. On the top of the north there was a small public beach, there was an area of dock. On the east-south there was a castle, near by there was a public beach.

At present, the locations of marina and fishing boats are replaced with each other, while the public beach, and passenger ferries remained the same. Additionally, the castle demolished and rebuilt into a hotel, there is a private beach in front of the hotel. In the center of the port there is a cafe and shops. Furthermore, the car parking areas are the same, however; a new road is built that linked to the lifeboat and hotel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the harbour in both 2000 and the present day. You provided a clear overview and made relevant comparisons, such as the relocation of the marina and the redevelopment of the castle. However, the response lacks a degree of precision in describing the spatial layout. For instance, stating 'on the top of the north' is imprecise, and the description of the castle's location as 'east-south' is non-standard. To reach a higher band, ensure that all spatial references are accurate and that the summary highlights the most significant changes more effectively, rather than listing every detail.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, with a clear distinction between the past and present. You use some cohesive devices such as 'additionally', 'furthermore', and 'however' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel forced. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the sentence 'the locations of marina and fishing boats are replaced with each other', which is slightly awkward. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'demolished', 'rebuilt', and 'passenger ferries'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'Port of Harbour' (which is redundant) and 'on the top of the north'. Additionally, the phrase 'replaced with each other' is not the most natural way to describe a swap in location. To improve, focus on using more precise geographical and descriptive vocabulary, and ensure that your word choices are contextually appropriate for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'there were two car parking' (should be 'parking areas'), 'road was also linked' (missing article), and 'the castle demolished' (should be 'the castle was demolished'). Punctuation is generally functional, though the use of the semicolon before 'however' is technically correct but follows a somewhat clunky sentence structure. Increasing the number of error-free complex sentences and focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will help improve your score.

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

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