Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-03

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 plans below represents how porth harbour is used to look in 2000 and how it looks now.

Overall, the porth harbour has underwent through several significant changes. It has converted into a tourist destination at present. By constructing cafes and shops. The private beach is only accessible for the hotel hotel customers.

By looking at, they have introduced another dock in the current design whereas marina in the northwest part of the plan has been replaced by fishing boats. Similarly, they have constructed shower and toilets for public beside the marina and above the car park which is in th southwest part of the plan. In addition, car park which is connected to the road ehich goes to the life boat, now it is redesigned can be accesible to the public through main road.

On the other hand, The empty place next to the lifeboat is being used and built cafe and shops for the public. While the castle has been replaced by hotel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the broad transformation from a harbour to a more visitor-oriented place, and you mention several relevant changes, including the hotel replacing the castle, the addition of cafés and shops, and the beach becoming private. These points support a relevant overview. However, some key details are inaccurate or unclear: the marina was not replaced by fishing boats in the north-west; the fishing boats moved to the northern basin, while the marina moved south. The reference to “another dock” is also misleading: the existing dock gained an additional jetty. Other important changes, such as the lifeboat area and the two car-park and facilities areas, are only partly described. More precise comparisons would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure, with an overview followed by paragraphs describing changes, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In addition,” and “On the other hand” help signal relationships. However, progression is not always clear: the second paragraph combines the marina, facilities, car park and road without a consistent spatial sequence, and the final paragraph repeats the hotel change already mentioned. Some connections are also awkward, particularly the sentence beginning “By looking at,” and the fragment “By constructing cafes and shops.” Organise the details by area or by type of change, and use references such as “the northern basin” and “the southern harbour” to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “marina,” “lifeboat,” “private beach,” and “replaced,” and you attempt to describe changes with phrases such as “tourist destination.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the intended change difficult to follow. For example, “introduced another dock” does not accurately describe an additional jetty, while “the empty place … is being used and built cafe and shops” is not a natural way to describe new facilities. There are also spelling errors, including “th,” “ehich,” and “accesible,” and repetition of “hotel.” Use precise location and change vocabulary, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “whereas” and a clause beginning “which,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in verb forms and agreement appear in “The plans below represents” and “has underwent,” while “how porth harbour is used to look” has an incorrect tense construction. Sentence boundaries also need attention: “By constructing cafes and shops” is a fragment, and “On the other hand, The empty place…” has faulty punctuation and capitalisation. Some sentences are difficult to parse because clauses are joined without a clear grammatical structure, as in the description of the car park and road. Practise accurate past-to-present comparisons and build complete sentences around each main change.

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