Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-10
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 map shows the harbour before in 2000 and after it went through major modifications.
Overall, alot of new features are added which includes an additional showers and toilets at the car parking area, A new cafe is also made right before life boat area. Morever, Castle is replaced by a private hotel.
The major changes includes the new shower and toilet units at car parking and the Mariana private yacht and Fishing boats sections are exchanged and re located . In addition, alongside road a new cafe and shops are opened right before where Life boats are placed.
On the oher hand, The main Castle is removed and a new private hotel is constructed following with a dedicated private beachat the south east side of the harbour which was for public use before. Meanwhile, some of the features like car parking and passenger ferries remained untouch.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You identify the main overall transformation: the harbour has been modernised, the marina and fishing-boat areas have switched, and the disused castle has become a hotel with a private beach. These are relevant, accurate features, and you also note the added cafés and shops and extra showers and toilets. However, some important changes are only briefly mentioned or omitted, including the additional jetty and berth at the dock and the relocation of the fishing boats to the northern basin. The statement that passenger ferries remained is not clearly supported by the plan, which labels them in 2000 but does not show them today. The response is three words below the required minimum, and several comparisons need fuller development.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has an identifiable overview followed by details, and phrases such as “Overall,” “In addition” and “Meanwhile” help signal relationships between points. However, progression is limited because the same changes are repeated: the marina/fishing-boat exchange and the cafés near the lifeboat are described in both the overview and the following paragraph. The contrast marker “On the other hand” does not introduce a clear opposing point, and the final sentence combines unrelated details without developing their relationship. Paragraphing is present, but the sequence would be clearer if you grouped changes by location or by type, then used references such as “this area” precisely to avoid repetition.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant map vocabulary, including “harbour,” “private beach,” “car parking area” and “replaced,” so the main changes are generally understandable. There is also some attempt at more specific language, such as “dedicated” and “relocated.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable: “alot,” “Morever,” “oher,” “Mariana,” and “untouch” reduce accuracy, while “a new cafe is also made” is an unnatural collocation. “Life boat area” is also imprecise for the lifeboat station. Use standard spellings and choose verbs suited to map changes, such as “constructed,” “added,” “remained unchanged” and “was relocated.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including “which was for public use before” and “Meanwhile, some of the features … remained…”. However, errors in sentence construction and agreement are evident. For example, “alot of new features are added which includes” has a mismatch between plural “features” and “includes,” and “The major changes includes” repeats this agreement problem. The phrase “following with a dedicated private beachat” is not grammatically formed, and “an additional showers and toilets” has an article–plural mismatch. Capitalisation after commas is also inconsistent. Aim for controlled past-to-present comparisons, for example, “The castle was replaced by a hotel, and the former public beach became private.”
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