Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-01

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 images compare the previous and today's looks of the harbour.

Overall, the castle is replaced by the hotel and there is a path which attaches the road to the hotel. In the past, there was a public beach beside the hotel but now it is transformed into the private beach. In the present, the showers and toilets area is added to the west-south corner of the harbour.

In 2000, there was only one dock alongside the public beach. Nonetheless, today the dock number is twice as compared to the past. Now the place of fishing boats section and Marina (private yachts) are replaced with each other. Passenger ferries remain same in both plans. Cafes and shops are build in the present but in 2000, they were not available. Today there is a pair of showers and toilets section compared to the past. The castle in the past in totally switched with hotel and the public beach alongside the castle is now changed into the private hotel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes accurately, including the exchange of the fishing-boat and marina areas, the addition of cafés and shops, and the castle’s replacement by a hotel. Your overview also recognises the change from a public to a private beach. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the beach beside the castle was not public in 2000; the public beach is at the north-east and remains there. “The dock number is twice” also misrepresents the plan: the dock has an additional jetty and two boats, rather than twice as many docks. You mention the new showers and toilets, but do not clearly describe the wider changes to facilities and harbour layout. Selecting and explaining the main changes more precisely would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has an opening, an overview, and a paragraph of details, so the reader can recognise a basic structure. You also use linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Nonetheless,” and “In the present.” However, the progression is not consistently clear: the overview repeats the castle-to-hotel and beach changes, and the final sentence repeats them again. Some connections are confusing, particularly “there was a public beach beside the hotel” when the hotel is a new feature, and “Passenger ferries remain same” appears without a clear link to the surrounding comparisons. Group the changes by location or by additions and relocations, and avoid repeating overview points in the detail paragraph.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “harbour,” “dock,” “Marina (private yachts),” “private beach,” and “replaced,” which helps communicate the main changes. There is some variety in how you describe change, but several phrases are imprecise or unnatural, such as “previous and today's looks,” “the dock number is twice,” and “the castle … in totally switched with hotel.” Word-form and spelling slips also occur in “build” and “Cafes.” These choices sometimes make the intended comparison less clear, even though the reader can generally follow it. Aim for precise map language and natural collocations, for example “the number of jetties increased” and “the castle was replaced by a hotel.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including “Now the place of fishing boats section and Marina … are replaced with each other.” Most of the main ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “Passenger ferries remain same” needs an article (“remain the same”), while “the castle in the past in totally switched” has an incorrect verb form and missing auxiliary. The sentence beginning “In the past, there was a public beach beside the hotel” also creates a confusing time relationship because the hotel is a present-day feature. Use consistent past and present forms to distinguish the two plans, and check articles, auxiliaries, and sentence construction. More accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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