Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-13

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 how Porth Harbour has changed between 2000 and 2026 in terms of infrastructure.

Overall, it can be seen that the area experienced significant modernization with the construction of several facilities and removal of certain natural features.

To commence with, the layout of the area in 2000, the Porth harbour is largely connected with a main road which moved towards north to south in the western corner of the Harbour. The center north area was covered by Docks and Passanger ferries. While the center south and slight east corner was reserved for life boats, public beach and costal area.there were two car parking were located in Harbour connected with Main road. There was also a private yachts na fishing boats near the beach in center of city.

Moving further to the development arises in the Harbour after 25 years, There are various new buildings are introduced in Harbour like Shower& toilets near Car parking, cafes and shops near fishing boats and a hotell is build up on thespace of public beach

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the maps as a comparison over time and mention several relevant features, including the main road, ferry area, lifeboat station, beaches, car parks and new facilities. However, the account only minimally reports the key changes and contains important inaccuracies: the maps are labelled 2000 and “today,” not 2026, and the hotel replaces the disused castle rather than being built on a public beach. The marina and fishing-boat areas switch locations, but this major change is not explained clearly. The overview is also too general to summarise the main transformations, and some locations are difficult to interpret. To strengthen the response, give a precise overview and compare the harbour’s principal changes accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph about the earlier plan and a final paragraph about later development. This gives the reader a basic progression through the task. Linking phrases such as “Overall,” “To commence with” and “Moving further” signal these stages, although the latter transitions sound mechanical and the final paragraph ends abruptly. Within paragraphs, several features are crowded together, and relationships between them are not always clear—for example, the description of the central areas and the two car parks. Organise the details into clearer groups, such as harbour facilities and southern/eastern changes, and use location-based references to make comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “infrastructure,” “construction,” “facilities,” “main road” and “private yachts,” which helps communicate the topic. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms reduce precision: “the area experienced significant modernization” is broad, while “the center north area was covered by Docks” does not describe the map naturally. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “Passanger,” “life boats,” “costal,” “hotell” and “thespace.” Use precise terms for map changes and locations, such as “was relocated,” “was replaced by,” “to the north of” and “along the southern edge,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including an overview sentence and a contrast beginning “While,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in sentence construction and verb forms occur frequently enough to make some details difficult to follow. For example, “To commence with, the layout of the area in 2000, the Porth harbour is…” lacks a clear grammatical structure, and “There are various new buildings are introduced” combines incompatible verb patterns. Tense also shifts between past and present when describing the maps, and clauses such as “While the center south…” are left incomplete. Build clear sentences with a consistent past tense for 2000 and present tense for today, and check subject–verb agreement, articles and sentence boundaries.

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