Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-16

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 diagrams illustrates that how Porth Harbour was in 2000, and what changes take place in this till today.

The public beach is same today as it was in 2000, the Showers and toilets, Car park in the northern-west, lifeboat are also same with previous map. While more Showers and toilets are contructed in the north side of southern-west side car parking area.

Today another one passenger ferries is added and there are two dock today, while in 2000 it was only one. A boat is also added in todays diagram. The location of places for Marina (private yachts) and fishing boats are replaced with each others. On the southern-west the path to car park is also changed which is now direct go from main road to car park. There are also Cafes and shops are constructed in the north side from road which was not availible in 2000. Castle which was disused in 2000 is now converted to hotel and the road is build which attache the hotel with old road. The beach which was public in 2000 is now private and belongs to hotel.

We discuss which changes are occured in the harbour from 2000 till today and what new contructions take place and which places are replaced with each others and converted to other things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes, including the exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas, the conversion of the disused castle into a hotel, and the change from a public to a hotel-owned private beach. These details show a generally relevant account of the plans. However, the opening does not provide a clear overview of the harbour’s main transformation, and some comparisons are inaccurate or unclear: the northern dock is not replaced by two docks, but gains an additional jetty and a second berthed boat. The claim that the north-west facilities remain unchanged also overlooks the added south-west showers and car park. A concise overview and more precise reporting of the dock and facilities would make the key features clearer and more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response groups several changes into paragraphs and uses basic linking words such as “While,” “Today,” and “also,” so the reader can follow much of the comparison. However, the overall progression is not consistently clear: the first paragraph attempts an overview but mainly lists features, while the final paragraph repeats the task rather than summarising the changes. Some links are awkward or unclear, as in “While more Showers and toilets are constructed…” and “which was not available in 2000.” Organise the report into a clear overview followed by grouped details—for example, changes to the harbour facilities and changes to the southern shore—and use references that make each location unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “Marina (private yachts),” “lifeboat,” “car park,” “converted to hotel,” and “private beach.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main changes, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. “Two dock” does not describe the additional jetty, and “replaced with each others” is an awkward way to describe the marina and fishing boats changing locations. Spelling errors such as “contructed,” “availible,” and “contructions” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise verbs such as “relocated,” “added,” and “converted,” and check spelling and natural combinations when describing map features.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including comparisons with “while” and relative clauses such as “which was not available in 2000.” However, errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some statements difficult to read. For example, “The diagrams illustrates” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “what changes take place in this till today” is not a well-formed clause. “The road is build which attache the hotel” also contains incorrect verb forms and an unclear clause structure. Practise accurate past and present passive forms, and build comparisons as complete sentences. Careful proofreading for agreement and punctuation will improve clarity.

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