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 map depict how a harbour has changed from 2000 to the present.

Overall, the structure of the porth harbour remained the same. However, there are significant changes made to the harbour as new car park and shower point being added along with the docks.

Intially in 2000, when we enter the harbour through main road. Along the card park space there was only one shower and toilet at the northeast side. However, now the beside the car park there are two rest room now. While taking the road to the seaside, just beside the lifeboat there is addition to the cafes and shops. The Casle now change to hotel meanwhile the public beach now change to private beach that is only accessible to the hotel.

To the northeast side of public beach, there used to be only one dock for passenger ferries. There is change of place the fishing boats that used to be on the southwest side take the mariana (private yachts) place and mariana take the place of fishing boats.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main period of change and give a relevant overview: the harbour’s general structure remains, while facilities and uses change. Several key transformations are accurately reported, including the castle becoming a hotel, the southern beach becoming private, cafés and shops being added, and the fishing boats and marina exchanging locations. However, some important details are unclear or incomplete. For example, “two rest room now” does not clearly explain that a second showers-and-toilets facility has been added, and the dock changes are reduced to “only one dock” without describing the additional jetty and second berthed boat. The location description of the boat areas is also imprecise. A more systematic comparison of the northern and southern harbour areas would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an overview followed by paragraphs describing changes, and the reader can generally follow the movement from the entrance to other parts of the harbour. Linking expressions such as “However,” “While,” and “meanwhile” help connect contrasts. At times, though, progression is difficult to follow because the descriptions shift between locations without clear orientation. “To the northeast side of public beach” is especially confusing, and “There is change of place” does not clearly connect the two boat-area changes. Some transitions also sound mechanical or do not express the intended relationship. Group the changes by location—for example, northern entrance, central harbour, and southern shore—and use clear references such as “in the northern basin” and “in the southern basin.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “harbour,” “lifeboat,” “passenger ferries,” “private beach,” and “cafes and shops,” so the topic is clear. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings reduce precision. “Card park” appears to mean “car park,” “rest room” is less suitable than “showers and toilets,” and “mariana” is an inaccurate spelling of “marina.” Phrases such as “take the place of” and “change of place” are understandable but repetitive and imprecise for describing relocation. Aim for accurate, consistent map terminology and use verbs such as “relocated,” “replaced,” and “added” to report changes more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including contrast with “However” and a relative clause in “the fishing boats that used to be…”. Some sentence patterns communicate the main ideas, but errors in tense, agreement, articles, and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “The map depict” needs subject–verb agreement, while “the structure … remained the same” conflicts with the present-time comparison unless the tense is adjusted. “Intially in 2000, when we enter the harbour through main road” is an incomplete sentence, and “The Casle now change to hotel” has an incorrect verb form and missing article. Practise complete sentences and consistent past-versus-present comparisons, while checking articles and verb endings.

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