Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-05

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 plan show the harbour in the year 2000 and the same harbour with some changes at present day.

Overall at harbour there are some changes occured and some more places and buildings are added. There are also some places where the area is increased .

The public beach, the passenger ferries, the area concerned with lifeboat and car park is same in both the plans except now there is a comnection of road with the large car park . There are two docks at present, the new dock is comstructed adjacent to the old dock same happened with the area concerned with showers and toilets. There is a addition of an area for showers and toilet just above the large parking and below the small parking. The area of both marina and fishing boats are same but now the places of both is interchanged.

The road which earlier only connected to the lifeboat is now connects to the hotel too. The castle is now converted into hotel and the ownership of the public beach is also in the hands of the hotel, so now it is private beach only .Beside lifeboat there are some cafes and shops are opened.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response partially addresses the task by identifying several main features of the harbour changes between 2000 and the present day, such as the conversion of the castle into a hotel, the addition of cafes and shops, and the interchange of the marina and fishing boats. However, the overview is extremely simplistic and vague, merely stating that 'some changes occured and some more places and buildings are added' without outlining the most significant structural transformations. Certain details are also missing or inaccurately described, such as the claim that the public beach and passenger ferries are entirely unchanged when the visual data shows additions and modifications nearby. To reach a higher standard, the response needs a more comprehensive and precise overview of the major shifts in layout, with fully developed descriptions of the alterations rather than superficial observations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text displays some basic organization, separating the introduction, body details, and final developments into paragraphs. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the logical flow is disrupted by repetitive phrasing and awkward transitions. Cohesive devices are used rather mechanically and inadequately, such as repetitive use of 'and' or vague reference words like 'both the places of both is interchanged' and 'same happened with the area'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs lacks sophistication. To improve, the writer should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that sentences follow a logical sequence that clearly guides the reader through the comparison of the two maps.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, which restricts the quality of the response. The writer relies heavily on basic terms and repeats words like 'area', 'place', 'dock', and 'car park' frequently throughout the text. There are also notable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'present day' instead of 'the present day' or 'at present', 'comnection of road', 'comstructed', and 'There is a addition'. While some attempts are made to use task-specific vocabulary like 'marina', 'lifeboat', and 'passenger ferries', the overall range is only minimally adequate for the task. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider and more precise range of vocabulary, improve word formation, and avoid repetitive phrasing by utilizing synonyms and appropriate collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The grammatical range is limited, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside a few basic attempts at complex structures, which frequently contain errors. There are frequent issues with subject-verb agreement and articles, such as 'The plan show', 'Overall at harbour', and 'is private beach only'. Preposition and structural errors also occur, including 'connects to the hotel too' and 'ownership of the public beach is also in the hands of the hotel'. These frequent grammatical errors cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a weak control of basic sentence patterns. To progress, the writer must focus on improving accuracy with verb forms, articles, singular/plural agreement, and structural control when forming complex sentences.

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

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