Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-09
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 plans below show a harbour in 2000 and it's present day looks after several changes.
I have summarised the data by selecting and reporting the main features, and made comparisons where related.
Overall, several differences in the sketch are notable. The capacity at the dock is increased allowing more ships to stay. Various new things were introduced to boost the tourism.
The car park was moved the main road and the cafes and shops were introduced next to the life boat. The public beach was converted to private beach and a hotel was introduced beside it. The private beach meant to secure the privacy of tourist and the hotel provides a comfortable stay provided with beautiful view of sea. The public beach was shifted beside dock .Marina and fishing boat section exchanged their places with each other.
In conclusion, several useful changes were made which could change the future of the harbour by attracting more tourists.
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 plans, such as the relocation of the car park and the introduction of new facilities. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention that the capacity of the dock increased, you do not provide specific details from the visual data to support this, such as the expansion of the dock area itself. Furthermore, the explanation of why changes were made (e.g., 'to secure the privacy of tourist') is subjective and goes beyond the task of reporting the information provided in the diagrams. To improve, focus strictly on describing the physical changes shown in the maps rather than speculating on the motivations behind them.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into an introduction, a body paragraph, and a conclusion, which provides a basic structure. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between the description of the car park and the beach is abrupt. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the sentence 'The private beach meant to secure the privacy of tourist', which lacks a clear link to the previous sentence. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the overall flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on simple descriptors like 'new things' and 'various', which are imprecise. There are also some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'it's present day looks' (should be 'its present-day appearance') and 'exchanged their places'. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more specific vocabulary related to map descriptions, such as 'relocated', 'transformed', 'extended', or 'replaced', and ensure that your word choices are more formal and academic in tone.
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 instance, 'The car park was moved the main road' is missing a preposition, and 'provided with beautiful view of sea' lacks necessary articles. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and pluralisation, such as 'privacy of tourist' instead of 'tourists'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for articles and prepositions will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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