Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 supplied maps illustrate the transformationof Porth Harbour landscape from 2000 till the date.

At first glance, it can be seen huge development on the geography of the Porth Harbour. Such as number of dock is increaseand other constructive expantion clearly seen on the western land and some privatisation also occure on the southrn land.

To begin with the map of 2000, in center it has the life boat facilities with road connection to the big car parking area to the west which also connects it to the main road on the land.On the south east side of the life boat there was a castle disused and a public beach on south coast. While some plain land is also present on the coast line which surrounds the castle. On the opposite of the lifeboat and castle it had the passenger feries near the dock and a public beach was present. On the west side of the dock there were marina a private yechts property present on the coast. while small car parking area with showers and toilets area.

However, on the current map of the Porth Harbour land shows significant developments for instance, the dock area on north is expanded. Beside the lifeboat area a cafe & shop was built. The disused castle is transformend into the hotel with expansion of the read to connect it to main road and the private beach is now only used by the hotel visitor acess only.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the hotel replacing the disused castle, the south beach becoming private, and cafés and shops appearing beside the lifeboat. However, the response only partly covers the plans: it does not clearly summarise the major rearrangement of the marina and fishing-boat areas, or the added facilities and car park in the south-west. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the large car park is not described as connecting to the lifeboat, and the maps show a dock with an additional jetty rather than simply an expanded dock area. The overview is also vague (“huge development”) and does not clearly group the main changes. Select the most significant changes and describe their locations precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a broad overview, a paragraph about 2000, and a final paragraph about today. Time markers such as “To begin with” and “However” help distinguish the two maps. Nevertheless, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several locations and features are combined in long sentences, and the comparison between the maps is not consistently explicit. For example, the 2000 paragraph moves from the lifeboat to the castle, beach, ferry dock, and marina without a clear spatial route. Use separate sentences or grouped descriptions for the northern, western, and southern areas, and use clear comparison links such as “whereas” or “in contrast” to connect old and new features.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt relevant map vocabulary, including “transformation,” “privatisation,” “facilities,” and “expanded,” and use terms such as “south east” and “coast line” to describe location. However, the range is limited by repeated general wording such as “area” and “development,” while several inaccurate or misspelled choices make the description harder to understand: “expantion,” “yechts,” “feries,” and “acess.” Some collocations are also unnatural, including “huge development on the geography” and “private yechts property.” Aim for precise map language, such as “the harbour facilities were redeveloped” or “the marina was relocated,” and check spelling and word forms carefully. More accurate vocabulary would make your comparisons clearer and more concise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “the big car parking area to the west which also connects it to the main road” and a contrast introduced by “While.” However, errors occur frequently in sentence structure, tense, agreement, articles, and punctuation, and some sentences are difficult to interpret. For example, “number of dock is increase” has incorrect agreement and verb form, while “the disused castle is transformend into the hotel” has an incorrect passive construction. The sentence beginning “At first glance” is also incomplete after “Such as.” Use consistent past tense for 2000 and present tense for today, and practise accurate passive forms (“was replaced by”) and complete sentences. Breaking long sentences into shorter units will help you control these patterns.

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