Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-23

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 digram illustrates how harbour looks in 2000 and how it looks today.

Overall the main changing between 2000 and presesnt picture is that, in 2000 there was a castle on the eastern side of the public beach and a fishing boats section on the western side of the Road, However in today picture, there is a Hotel on the place of Castle, and the public beach chages into a private beach, further there is a cafe and shops on the western side of the road.

In the first, there is a dock in the north and a public beach, there is a shower and is toilets section and a car section also a Marine private yachts in the west, Moreover in the south, there is public beach and a castle disuded and have a road in the north side which ends in a lifeboat stop, there is main road in the west side and a cark park or a fishing boats on the east side of the main road.

On the other hand, there is a hotel in the place of Castle and Cafes and shops on the north side of the road where an addition of car park and showers and toilets on the east side of the main road and the public beach converts into the private beach for the hotel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the castle becoming a hotel and the southern beach becoming private, and you mention the addition of cafés and shops. However, the overview is not fully reliable: the fishing-boat area was relocated from the southern basin to the northern dock basin, rather than being on the western side of the road as stated. Some details are also unclear or inaccurate, such as saying the road “ends in a lifeboat stop” and placing the new facilities on the east side of the main road. The response reports some relevant features, but it omits key changes such as the marina’s relocation and the extra jetty and boats. A clearer overview and more accurate comparisons would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the earlier and current plans. This gives the reader a basic sense of progression, and phrases such as “On the other hand” signal a comparison. However, the organisation within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several locations and features are joined in long, loosely connected sentences. For example, the first-plan description moves from the dock to facilities in the west, then to the southern beach and road without consistently clarifying their positions. Some linking phrases are also mechanical or do not introduce a clear contrast. Grouping features by area and using more precise references would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “eastern side,” “main road,” “private beach,” and “lifeboat,” so the reader can understand the general subject. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and sometimes make details harder to interpret: “digram,” “presesnt,” “Marine,” and “disuded” are examples. Several phrases are imprecise or unnatural, such as “a car section,” “a lifeboat stop,” and “on the place of Castle.” The vocabulary range is sufficient to attempt a description, but repeated use of basic “there is” constructions limits precision. Learn accurate labels from the map and use location phrases such as “adjacent to” or “to the south of” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, but control is inconsistent, particularly when combining several features in one sentence. For example, “there is a shower and is toilets section and a car section also a Marine private yachts” has problems with articles, agreement, and sentence structure. The opening, “how harbour looks,” also needs an article, while “the public beach chages into a private beach” has an incorrect verb form and tense. Commas and capital letters are not always used effectively, as in the long overview sentence beginning “Overall.” These errors sometimes make relationships between features unclear. Use shorter, complete sentences first, then add carefully controlled clauses to show comparisons.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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