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 daigram illustrates the alterations that have taken place in Porth Harbour between 2000 and the present day.

Overall, it is evident that the area has undergone various modifications. The most noticeable shift made is the transformation of the castle into a hotel. Moreover, the cafes and shops are introduced currently.

Looking at the north,east and southern directions, it was consisted of the castle which is transformed into a hotel today. In addition, the public beach is modified for the hotel. In 2000, the road that parted away from the main road only used to reach the lifeboat neverthless, in recent times, the road is upgragaded to reach the hotel directly. The invention of the new cafes and shops made currently.

Turning to the the remaining directions, it is apparent that the road for the car parking in the south-west is altered from main road to the pathway of the hotel. Moreover, addition of the restrooms in west takes place. Furthermore, the locations for the fishing boats and marina are reversed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the broad change from a disused castle to a hotel and note the addition of cafés and shops, as well as the exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas. These are relevant main features, and the overview signals that the harbour has changed. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the southern beach becomes a private beach for hotel guests, rather than simply being “modified for the hotel,” and the road is not described as being upgraded to reach the hotel. The account also omits notable changes such as the extra dock jetty and the added showers and toilets near the marina. To strengthen the response, describe the main spatial changes precisely and distinguish what remains unchanged, including the north-eastern public beach.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. Phrases such as “Overall,” “In addition,” and “Turning to” help signal progression, and the final point about the marina and fishing boats being reversed is easy to follow. However, grouping details by “north, east and southern directions” and then “remaining directions” does not give the reader a clear route through the map, particularly because several features are not actually located in those broad areas. Some linking is also repetitive, and “The invention of the new cafes and shops made currently” repeats an idea already stated in the overview without adding detail. Organise the body around the harbour’s northern and southern sections, and use clear references to connect each feature to its location.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “alterations,” “transformation,” “lifeboat,” “marina,” and “fishing boats,” and “locations … are reversed” communicates a key change. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a map. “Invention” does not fit the addition of facilities, “restrooms” is less precise than the map’s “showers and toilets,” and “the road for the car parking” is unclear. Spelling errors such as “daigram” and “upgragaded” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise verbs and location phrases, for example “was replaced by,” “was relocated to,” and “adjacent to.” This would make the description more natural and exact while retaining your useful range of map vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including “Moreover, the cafes and shops are introduced currently” and a sentence comparing the road in 2000 with its present-day use. However, errors in tense, sentence construction, and punctuation are noticeable. For example, “it was consisted of the castle” is not a correct construction, while “the road … only used to reach the lifeboat” needs a clearer subject and verb form. “The invention of the new cafes and shops made currently” is also incomplete or malformed, and “the the remaining directions” contains a repeated article. Use past simple for the 2000 map and present simple or present perfect for current features, and check articles and sentence completeness. More accurate control of these patterns would make your comparisons easier to understand.

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.