Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-17

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 given plan shows two photos of same horbour one from 2000 and the other of how it is today.

Both the images are drone shots so we can analyze both and can make the differences both plans have.

So, most of the things have remained same and some new additions are made.

As we start from main road we see car parking and toilets in both images but there has been an addition of more toilets and showers inn today's image moving next to Marina private yachts area we can see that that has been changed to fishing boats parking and Marina private yachts parking have been shifted to the opposite of that.

Moving ahead, the Dock space has been expanded and opposite to that we can see cafe asnd shops have been added. The disused castle have also been changed to a Hotel.

In my opinion the image of today's Harbour is more spacious as more people can visit and have fun activities also stay at the hotel and use private beach.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the relocation of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafés and shops, and the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel. However, the overview that “most of the things have remained same” is too general and does not clearly summarise the main transformation. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the dock is described as “expanded,” whereas the plan shows an additional jetty and two boats; the new showers and toilets are not clearly located; and the public beach in the north-east and the change to a hotel’s private beach are not fully reported. The final opinion about visitors and activities is not needed for this map summary. Select and describe the key spatial changes more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence, moving from the main road to the marina, dock and castle, and phrases such as “Moving ahead” help signal progression. However, the organisation is not fully clear: the opening discusses “both photos” and drone shots rather than giving a focused overview, and the main changes are compressed into long sentences. References such as “opposite to that” and “that” do not make the locations or features clear. The final personal opinion also interrupts the factual description. Use a clear overview followed by logically grouped comparisons—for example, changes to the harbour facilities and changes to the southern shore—and use precise location references to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “main road,” “Dock,” “Marina,” “fishing boats,” and “private beach,” so the reader can identify several features. However, the range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural for a plan description. “Fishing boats parking” and “Marina private yachts parking” do not describe the labelled water areas appropriately, while “more spacious” is not clearly supported by the plans. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “horbour,” “asnd,” and “inn,” which reduce the accuracy of the writing. Aim for precise terms such as “area for fishing boats,” “marina for private yachts,” and “was relocated,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including “As we start from main road we see…” and a sentence describing the marina’s relocation. However, errors are frequent enough to make some relationships difficult to follow. Examples include missing articles in “same horbour” and “from main road,” faulty agreement in “The disused castle have,” and the awkward construction “there has been an addition of more toilets and showers inn today's image.” Several sentences are joined with commas or run on, particularly the long sentence beginning “Moving next to Marina…,” and punctuation is inconsistent. Practise accurate article use, subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries, then build comparisons with controlled clauses such as “The marina was moved south, while the fishing-boat area took its former place.”

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