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 diagrams show some changes that have taken place on Porth Harbour between the year 2000 and today.

Overall, there has been 7 changes on features on the Porth Harbour today than it was in the year 2000.

Today there is an additional showers and toilets next to the south western car park abd the Matina private yatchs exchanged position today from where they were originally in 2000.

in 2000, on the northen side of the North Harbour where the passenger ferries are parked, there used to be 1 dock but today theres 2 docks at the same position

Furthermore, the castle on the south eastern side of the Porth Harbour that was nolonger in use in 2000 is now a hotel and the beach next to it that used to be public is now private and only accessible to the hotel clients

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant changes, including the relocation of the marina, the replacement of the disused castle by a hotel, and the change from a public to a private beach. However, the overview is unclear and says there were “7 changes” without summarising the main pattern. Some details are inaccurate: the northern entrance has an additional jetty and two boats, not “2 docks”; the beach beside the hotel was public in 2000, but the southern beach is the one that becomes private. Important changes, such as cafés and shops and the relocation of fishing boats, are omitted. The response is also 7 words below the required minimum. Develop a clearer overview and report the main changes accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable sequence: an introduction, an attempted overview, and then details about facilities and the southern area. Linking expressions such as “Overall” and “Furthermore” help signal this progression. However, the overview is too vague to guide the reader, and the final paragraph combines several changes without clearly distinguishing their locations. The sentence beginning “in 2000” is also difficult to follow because its reference to the northern side and passenger ferries does not clearly connect to the claim about docks. Use separate, well-organised paragraphs for the overview and key areas, and make references such as “there” or “next to it” explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “south eastern side,” “car park,” “private,” and “exchanged position,” so the reader can identify several features and changes. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable: “Matina private yatchs” is difficult to interpret, and “abd,” “northen,” and “nolonger” reduce accuracy. Some phrasing is also imprecise, particularly “7 changes on features” and “2 docks,” which does not describe the map accurately. Aim for consistent, accurate map vocabulary and collocations, such as “the marina moved” or “the marina was relocated,” and check spelling carefully. This would make the description clearer and more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including a comparison with “where they were originally in 2000” and a longer sentence beginning “Furthermore.” The main changes are generally understandable, but some grammatical errors make the relationships between features less clear. For example, “there has been 7 changes” has an agreement error, while “Today there is an additional showers and toilets” has a mismatch between the singular verb and plural noun. The phrase “than it was in the year 2000” is also awkwardly constructed, and punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent. Practise accurate plural agreement and use clear past-versus-present forms when comparing the two plans.

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