Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-27

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 describes about the developments and changes in harbour over a period.

Overall, there are no major changes in layout of port. Road on south diverted to hotel moreover, beach at the side of it now only dedicated to visitors of hotel. Cafe and shops are introduced later.

In 2000, south road allow for car parking at immediate left and accesible to lifeboat at the end of this road. Castle and publich beach are located at the south-east corner of the port. Additionaly, cars can be parked at other exit of main road on north side where toilets and showers are situated. People can enter public beach from north side to withness docks. Private yatch and fishing boats are placed next to car parking.

Today, road at south is only diverted for hotel. Public beach is now restricted to everyone. Additionally, cafe, shops and docks are added. Unused castel is developed to hotel. Earlier showers and toilets are limited now they are doubled. Private yatch and fish boat places are exchanged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the hotel replacing the disused castle, the southern beach becoming private, and the marina and fishing-boat areas exchanging positions. You also mention the added cafés and shops and the increase in facilities. However, the overview that there are “no major changes in layout” understates the redevelopment, and some details are inaccurate or unclear: the southern road is not described as being diverted, and the northern public beach remains public rather than becoming “restricted to everyone.” The account also misses the additional jetty and second berthed boat, and does not clearly explain the changes to the car parks. Select the main transformations more accurately and distinguish what remains unchanged from what has changed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

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 chronological framework. However, progression within the paragraphs is uneven, and some connections between features are difficult to follow. For example, “People can enter public beach from north side to withness docks” combines the beach and dock without making their relationship clear. The repeated use of “Additionally” and the abrupt sequence of short statements in the final paragraph make the description feel list-like. Group changes by location or by type—such as facilities, water uses, and the southern area—and use clearer references to connect the two plans.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “harbour,” “lifeboat,” “public beach,” “private,” and “replaced,” and you attempt to describe change with phrases such as “are exchanged” and “developed to hotel.” This shows a basic range suited to the task, but several word choices and spelling errors make parts of the description less clear. “Road … diverted for hotel” does not accurately express the change, while “public beach is now restricted to everyone” gives a confusing meaning. There are also errors such as “accesible,” “publich,” “yatch,” and “castel.” Aim for precise map language, for example “the beach became private” and “the marina and fishing-boat areas swapped locations,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, and the response generally communicates a comparison between 2000 and today. However, grammatical errors are frequent enough to make several sentences difficult to interpret. Examples include “The map describes about the developments,” “south road allow,” and “Earlier showers and toilets are limited now they are doubled.” These show problems with articles, verb forms, sentence boundaries, and tense consistency. Some clauses also lack clear grammatical links, as in “People can enter public beach from north side to withness docks.” Use past tense for the 2000 plan and present tense for today, and build each comparison as a complete sentence with a clear subject and verb. Punctuation between independent clauses also needs attention.

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

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