Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-10

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 map illustrates the advancement in harbour before in 2000 and how it look in present.

Overall, the porth habour still looks the same as it was in 2000, but the major changes that made during the time is Hotel instead of Castle, however rest of the things remain same just changes in the locations.

In 2000, the harbour porth consist of a single Dock, In the south east there was a castle, just beside the Castle there was a Public beech. In North west there is a Car Park along with Shower & toilets and just right of the cark park there is a Marina (Private yachts), below it there was a fishing boat area.

In Present, one more dock is add while the Public beech attaching to dock remains constant, Castle replaced a Hotel linking with a road, and now the beech is private close only for the peoples staying at hotel. Cafes and shops are build on the left of lifeboat also location of Marine (private yachts) and Fishing board replaced by each other. One more washroom & showers area add on the south west Cark park.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the harbour, such as the addition of a second dock, the conversion of the castle into a hotel, and the relocation of the marina and fishing area. However, the response lacks a clear, analytical overview. While you mention that the harbour looks 'the same', this is inaccurate given the significant structural changes described. To improve, ensure your overview highlights the most striking transformations, such as the shift from public to private facilities and the expansion of infrastructure. Some details, such as the 'public beech' (beach) and 'fishing board' (boat area), are slightly inaccurate or confusingly described, which impacts the clarity of your report.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression from the 2000 layout to the present day. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally misused, such as the awkward transition 'however rest of the things remain same'. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when describing the movement of the marina and fishing area. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in contrast') to connect your ideas more fluidly rather than relying on simple conjunctions.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several spelling errors and word-choice inaccuracies that hinder precision. For example, 'beech' should be 'beach', 'cark park' should be 'car park', and 'fishing board' is likely meant to be 'fishing boat area'. Additionally, 'advancement' is not the most appropriate term for describing changes to a harbour layout; 'development' or 'transformation' would be more precise. To improve, focus on learning specific collocations related to map descriptions and proofread carefully to avoid basic spelling mistakes that distract the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Issues include incorrect verb tenses (e.g., 'one more dock is add' instead of 'has been added'), missing articles, and subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'Castle replaced a Hotel' instead of 'the castle was replaced by a hotel'). While these errors do not completely prevent communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focus on mastering passive voice constructions, which are essential for describing changes in map tasks, and ensure consistent use of articles and verb forms.

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

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