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 two images presented are of Porth Harbour, first one is from year 2000 and second one is from today. Some significants changes have been made in area as before it used to have a castle on one side of shore but now a hotel is contructed at its place with a private beach on its side reserved for hotel customers which used to be a public beach. On public beach side there used to be a small area for dock but now its extended and the area is increased. On opposite side of dock there used to be lifeboats only but now some cafes and shops are also present there along with lifeboats. Fishing boats and Marina are still present as they were in 2000 the only difference is that now there positions are exhanged. More showers and toilets are added to harbour from before as it is illustrated in plan. The new toilets and showers are installed on second parking area side. Also the entrance of second parking area is also changed, before it used to be on south side on harbour now its at the west side.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes, including the replacement of the disused castle by a hotel, the change from a public to a hotel beach, the addition of cafés and shops, and the exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas. These are relevant and generally match the plans. However, there is no clear overview that groups the main transformations, and some details are unclear or inaccurate: the dock is at the northern harbour entrance, not on the public-beach side, and the response does not clearly explain the changes to its jetties and boats. The parking-area entrance detail is also difficult to verify from the plans. A concise overview followed by more precise comparisons would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response presents a sequence of relevant changes, and phrases such as “but now” and “also” help signal contrast and addition. However, it is written as one continuous paragraph, so the reader gets little help distinguishing the overall picture from individual details. The progression also shifts between the castle and beach, dock, lifeboat area, and parking without a clear spatial or thematic order. Some references, such as “on public beach side” and “on opposite side of dock,” are not sufficiently clear. Organise the answer into an introduction, a brief overview, and one or two detail paragraphs grouped by location or type of change; use more precise linking and referencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of map-related vocabulary, including “private beach,” “lifeboats,” “cafes and shops,” and “parking area,” and the main changes remain understandable. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “reserved for hotel customers” and “positions are exchanged.” However, several word choices and collocations are awkward or imprecise: “significants changes,” “area is increased,” and “entrance … is changed” do not express the map changes naturally. Spelling errors such as “contructed” and “exhanged” are noticeable, though they do not prevent understanding. Aim for accurate forms and more precise verbs such as “replaced,” “expanded,” and “relocated.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “but now” and “which used to be,” and the intended meaning is usually clear. Some grammatical errors remain, however. For example, “first one is from year 2000” needs articles, while “now there positions are exhanged” has an incorrect possessive form and verb construction. The sentence beginning “Some significants changes have been made” also has problems with agreement and sentence structure. Tense and article use are not consistently controlled, and several long sentences join multiple changes without clear punctuation. Practise accurate past-versus-present comparisons and break complex descriptions into well-punctuated sentences.

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