Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-30
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 maps delineate the various advancements in the coastal area between the year 2000 and today. Harbor is being updated in terms of docks, several services, and a hotel.
In the year 2000, on the west side of the map, right beside the main road, there was only one space reserved for the showers and toilets right next to the car park, having enterance from the main road and private yachts marina. In southwest, there is another car park next to the fishing boats area having enterance from a road leading to the life boat area. In southeast, there is a beach available for the public and right next to it ia a disused castle. Lastly, in the north, there is a beach available for public
having a single dock right beside it.
In today's date, in the west, there are several enterances from the main road leading to both car parks with the increase of showers and toilets right beside each car park. The previous private yachts marina has been changed positions with the previous fishing boat area. In the south, in the small road leading to the lifeboat now has cafes and shops with an extension to the hotel, which was a disused castle beforehand. Moreover, public beaches are now reserved only for the hotel. In the north, there is a visible increase in the number of docks also.
In general, there is a significant increase in services for tourists as well as locals. For instance, docks, showers and toilets, and passenger ferries.
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 response covers the main developments shown in the maps, such as the changes to the marina and fishing boat areas, the addition of cafes and shops, and the transformation of the disused castle into a hotel. An overview is also provided at the end. However, some details are slightly inaccurate or confusingly expressed, such as stating that public beaches are now reserved only for the hotel (when only the beach south of the road became a private hotel beach, while the north-eastern public beach remains). Overall, all parts of the task are addressed, but development and precision could be improved.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The essay is organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, two body paragraphs detailing the maps, and a concluding overview. Cohesive devices such as 'In the year 2000', 'In today's date', and 'Moreover' are used to guide the reader through the spatial changes. However, referencing and transitions are at times mechanical or repetitive ('in the west', 'in the south', 'in the north'), which slightly impacts the overall flow. Paragraphing is adequate and the logical arrangement is maintained throughout.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe spatial changes, using terms like 'delineate', 'marina', 'disused', and 'extension'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation issues, such as 'advancements' instead of 'changes' or 'developments', 'enterance' (spelling error), and 'has been changed positions' instead of 'swapped positions' or 'been relocated'. Vocabulary is adequate for the task, but errors in word formation and spelling prevent a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout, such as 'Harbor is being updated' (tense inconsistency when describing maps of 2000 and today), 'there was only one space reserved for the showers and toilets right next to the car park, having enterance from...' (run-on participial phrase), and 'ia a disused castle' (typo). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur with enough frequency to restrict the score to Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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