Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-13
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 provided map illustrates the layout of the harbour in 2000 and its current appearance.
Overall, it can be seen that in 2000, the castle was disused and there was only one dock in the north. In the present day plan, a hotel, a second dock and passenger toilets have been added.
In 2000, there was a Marina in the west for passengers where passengers could park their private yachts and one toilet. Also the fishing boat was considerably large. Moreover there was a public beach where passengers could relax and two car parks connected to the main road whereas the castle was disused.
Looking at the present-day plan, there are two car parks that directly links to the main road and two toilets. The marina area has been expanded. Also cafes and shops has been added. However, the old castle was transformed into hotel which is directly connected to the road and has a private beach, allowing visitors to enjoy the beach. A second dock was added to the eastern side of the harbour.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The candidate successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing a clear overview and summarizing the main features of the harbour comparing 2000 to the present day. Key developments such as the conversion of the disused castle into a hotel, the addition of a second dock, the expansion of the marina, and the introduction of new amenities like cafes, shops, and passenger toilets are accurately reported. The comparisons between the two periods are relevant and well-selected. However, the response tends to list features rather than fully integrating complex trends, which places it firmly within Band 6.0 territory. The overview provided in the second paragraph is concise and helpful, fulfilling the core requirements of an Academic Task 1 response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from an introductory overview to specific details of the past and present layouts. Paragraphing is used adequately, separating the introduction, the overview, the past features, and the present features into distinct sections. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Overall', 'In 2000', 'Also', 'Moreover', and 'Looking at the present-day plan', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive ('Also'). Referencing is mostly clear, allowing the reader to follow the spatial comparisons easily. However, the internal organization of sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher band descriptor.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'harbour', 'marina', 'yachts', 'dock', and 'disused'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'transformed into', 'expanded', and 'considerably large'. However, there are some word-choice and collocation errors, notably 'directly links' instead of 'directly link', and minor phrasing awkwardness. Spelling is generally accurate throughout the text. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main points clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for Band 7.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The candidate demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'where passengers could park their private yachts', 'allowing visitors to enjoy the beach'). There are, however, several grammatical errors present. For instance, there is a subject-verb agreement error with 'cafes and shops has been added' (should be 'have been added'), and an omission of an article in 'transformed into hotel' (should be 'transformed into a hotel'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while these errors persist, they rarely impede communication, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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