Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-08

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 two maps illustrate the Porth Harbour looked like in 2000 and how the upgraded Porth Harbour looks today.

Overall, the area became developed with several new facilities being added and some exisiting features being removed or replaced.

Strating from the main road in the bottom, Car Park enterence has been changed. It is via main road in today's Porth harbour. Next to that Car park, Shower & toilets have been constructed. In 2000, there was only one Shower toilet and car park was there. But in today, there is two which is next to each other.

On the right side of corner, there was Castle which was unused in 2000. While, today the Castle was replaced with Hotel and public beach became private beach.Outside the hotel, New Cafes and shops was built next to the Lifeboat zone.

Marina(Private Yatch) and Fishing boat have been relocated with each other compared to 2000. In the Norther part, Next to the Public beach there was only one Dock in 2000. But, in todays look, another Dock have been constructed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall change—that the harbour gained facilities—and report several important transformations, including the exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas, the castle becoming a hotel, and the southern beach becoming private. These details are generally consistent with the plans. The overview is relevant, but it is broad and does not clearly summarise the most significant spatial changes. Some descriptions are also unclear or inaccurate: the northern dock was not simply replaced by “another Dock”; an additional jetty and a second berthed boat were added. The account of the car parks and facilities is difficult to interpret and does not explain their locations clearly. To strengthen the response, compare the north and south areas more precisely and report the dock changes accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by paragraphs describing changes. You also use basic linking expressions such as “Overall,” “While,” and “compared to 2000,” which help signal relationships. However, progression is uneven: the account moves from the main road to the south-east, then to the north, without a clear organising principle, and several location references are vague, such as “Next to that” and “On the right side of corner.” Some transitions are mechanical or awkward, and the final paragraph ends without a concluding summary. Organise the details by area—for example, northern harbour, southern facilities, and access—and use clear references to connect each change to its location.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “relocated,” “replaced,” “constructed,” and “private beach,” and these choices communicate several key changes. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which makes parts of the description less precise. For example, “another Dock have been constructed” does not accurately describe the added jetty, while “Castle which was unused” is less precise than the map’s label “disused.” There are also spelling errors such as “exisiting,” “Strating,” “enterence,” and “Yatch,” alongside inconsistent capitalisation. Build a more precise set of terms for map changes and facilities, and proofread spelling so that the reader can focus on the comparisons.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex structures, including “Marina … and Fishing boat have been relocated with each other compared to 2000,” and use past and present time references to compare the plans. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in agreement, articles, tense, and sentence construction sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “the Porth Harbour looked like” (missing “what”), “there is two,” “Castle was replaced,” and “another Dock have been constructed.” Several sentence openings are also fragments or awkwardly formed, such as “Strating from the main road in the bottom.” Practise forming complete comparison sentences and check subject–verb agreement and tense: for example, “The marina and fishing-boat areas have exchanged locations.”

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