Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-24
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 illustrates plans of harbour in 2000 and how it looks today.
Overall, there several upgrade highlighting part among them are new features added like, Hotel, cafe and shop , showers and toilets. They now had restricted beach near hotel for hotal now it is private side.
Futhermore, as in 2000 there were only one showers and toilets near main road but today they had added one more that is also n ear main road between two car parking sides. There is upgrade in dock in 2000 there was only 1 dock but now there are two dock in same location arrange side by side.
In addition, they had relocated some facilities like fishing boats area they had shift this down word in place of marina and marina is relocated in place of fishing boats. They had remove castle and insted of that they had place hotel and extended road to hotel.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify several important changes, including the hotel replacing the castle, the southern beach becoming private, and the marina and fishing-boat areas switching locations. However, the overview is unclear and does not summarise the overall transformation effectively; “there several upgrade” is difficult to interpret. Some details are inaccurate: the dock itself was not replaced by two docks; an additional jetty was added, with two boats berthed. The road is described as extended to the hotel, but the map indicates the road leading towards the hotel area. The response also omits notable changes such as the cafés and shops and the public beach remaining in place. Finally, it is 145 words, below the required 150-word minimum.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an opening, an attempted overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. Linking phrases such as “Furthermore” and “In addition” help signal that more information is coming. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the overview is difficult to follow, and the later paragraphs combine several changes without a clear organising principle. Some references are also ambiguous, as in “they had added one more that is also near main road between two car parking sides.” Grouping changes by location or by type—such as changes to harbour facilities, transport, and the southern shore—would make comparisons easier to follow. Use linking expressions to show relationships between features, rather than relying mainly on additive transitions.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “relocated,” “private,” “dock,” “car parking,” and “facilities,” so the reader can recognise the main subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear. “Upgrade” is repeated and does not precisely describe all the changes, while “restricted beach” does not clearly convey that the beach is now private for hotel guests. Spelling errors such as “Futhermore,” “insted,” and “hotal” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise terms for map changes and check spelling carefully. A wider range of verbs such as “replaced,” “converted,” and “remained” would help you describe the developments more clearly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, including clauses beginning “as” and “that,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in sentence structure and agreement appear in examples such as “Overall, there several upgrade” and “there were only one showers.” Verb forms are also faulty in “they had remove castle” and “they had place hotel,” and articles are often missing, as in “plans of harbour” and “place hotel.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to understand. Practise forming accurate past-tense descriptions and checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and plural nouns. Shorter, complete sentences would help you communicate the comparisons reliably before attempting more complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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