Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 given maps illustrate how harbor in 2000 and how it looks today.

Overall, it is clear that harbor in today marked many changes such as, shifted marina private yachts as well as added new shops. In contrast, some things are same as in 2000 in today.

Looking at the north side, while the public beach has remained unchanged thorough of period, the dock is now doubled with two boats. The marina private yachts and fishing boats were exchanged there place in today figures. In 2000, figure has one showers and toilets were now figure added 1 more in between car park. Also, cafes & shops were newly opened near lifeboat.

On the remaining side, castle disused was replaced in to hotel. Moreover, public beach become a private beach for the hotel in 2000. In contrast, showers toilette and car park remained unchanged through out two decades, and changed directly access to car park from road in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes, including the relocation of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafés and shops, and the replacement of the disused castle by a hotel. The overview also recognises that some features remain unchanged. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the dock has an additional jetty and two boats, rather than being “doubled,” and the southern beach becomes private, not the northern public beach. The statement that the showers, toilets and car park “remained unchanged” overlooks the additional facilities and car park shown today. The comparison of the two maps is relevant, but a clearer overview and more precise reporting of the changes would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes in different areas. This gives the reader a generally coherent route through the information. You also use linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Looking at the north side,” and “Moreover.” However, some connections are difficult to follow, particularly “In contrast, some things are same as in 2000 in today” and “changed directly access to car park from road in 2000.” The repeated use of “In contrast” does not always express a clear contrast, and references such as “there place” are unclear. Grouping changes more precisely by location and using explicit comparisons would improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “marina,” “dock,” “public beach,” “lifeboat,” and “replaced,” so the main subject is usually identifiable. There are also attempts at useful change language, such as “remained unchanged” and “newly opened.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “harbor in today,” “doubled,” “exchanged there place,” and “changed directly access.” These choices sometimes make the intended comparison difficult to understand. Spelling and forms are also inconsistent, for example “harbor” alongside “cafes” and “toilette.” Build a more reliable set of phrases for describing relocation, addition, and replacement, and check that each phrase fits the map feature being described.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast clause beginning “while” and a sentence using “Moreover.” The overall meaning can often be recovered, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “The given maps illustrate how harbor in 2000 and how it looks today” lacks a complete parallel structure, while “the dock is now doubled with two boats” uses an unclear construction. There are also errors in articles, agreement, and verb forms, as in “some things are same” and “public beach become.” The sentence about the car park is especially difficult to interpret because its grammatical relationships are unclear. Practise accurate comparison structures and past-to-present verb forms, while checking articles and sentence completeness.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.