Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-02

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 diagram illustrate the information about the Porth Harbour from 2020 and current days,

Overall, in recent days a addition of an extra shower and toilets and a newly added cafes & shops near the road. Marine (private yachts) and fishing boats exchange their location with each other.The castle reformed into hotel and the previous beach around castle is now private beach for the hotel.

In 2020, in north of Porth Harbour's their was shower & toilets car park and Marina(private yachts) located in north east side but now fishing boats takes the place and marine ( private yachts) takes fishing boats previous slot furthermore, a extra shower's & toilets is also added near the car park pf south. A new cafes & shops is also added in current days near the road which is placed in south east of the Parth Harbour. A new dock is also include in recent days.

By contrast, public beach, passenger ferries and lifeboat remains exactly the same condition. Moreover, castle(disused) transformed into hotel now consequently previous public beach near castle now named as private beach for the hotel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several major changes, including the exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas, the addition of cafés and shops, and the conversion of the disused castle into a hotel with a private beach. The overview captures these central developments, and you also note features that remain unchanged. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the plans show 2000, not 2020, and the dock gains an additional jetty rather than simply being “new.” The location description of the original marina as “north east” is also imprecise. Some changes, such as the added facilities and the dock arrangement, are mentioned without enough precise comparison. A more systematic account of the main changes would make the summary more complete and clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an overview is followed by details about the harbour and then a comparison of features that remain unchanged. This helps the reader follow the broad message. However, progression within the body paragraphs is uneven, and several ideas are crowded into long sentences, particularly the sentence beginning “In 2020, in north of Porth Harbour’s…” The linking phrases “Overall,” “furthermore,” and “By contrast” show an effort to connect ideas, but some connections are awkward or do not clearly signal the relationship between changes. References such as “previous beach around castle” are also difficult to interpret. Grouping changes by area or by type, and using clearer sentence boundaries, would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “Marina (private yachts),” “fishing boats,” “public beach,” and “private beach,” and you attempt useful change language such as “exchange their location” and “transformed into hotel.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “Marine” is used for “marina,” “a addition” is not idiomatic, and “takes the place” is less precise than language describing relocation. There are also spelling and form errors, including “Parth Harbour” and “cafes” where the map label is “Cafés.” These do not prevent the main meaning from being understood, but they make the description less precise. Aim for accurate, consistent terms and natural phrases for describing map changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “By contrast” and a cause-and-result link with “consequently.” However, grammatical control is limited, and errors recur in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and tense. For example, “The two diagram illustrate” has a plural-agreement error, while “a addition” and “a extra shower’s” show problems with articles and noun forms. The sentence “By contrast, public beach, passenger ferries and lifeboat remains” also needs plural forms and matching verb agreement. Some sentences are difficult to process because several clauses are joined without clear punctuation. Practise building accurate short sentences first, then combine them using controlled subordinate clauses.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.