Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-05

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 5.0)

The map illustrates the changes are made in porth harbour and how it was looked in 2000 and now.

Overall, there are significant development occur in that time all over the area, mostly in northren and southren side. The number of docks increase and the new entrance build and some new buildings construct and some replace with old one.

In 2000, the porth harbour have one main entrance on west side which connect with main road while the other one for car parking area and this parking have refreshment section on top with toilets and showers facility. Two dadicated places for private yachts and fishing boats and have only one dock for passengers ferries parking. The old map show two beaches on both side.

On the other hand, current plan display a new showers and toilets building construct with second parking and also shift its entry point toward main road before it point to small raod which enter

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the two time periods and note that the harbour has undergone substantial development, which gives the response a relevant starting point. However, the account covers the plans only partially, and several details are inaccurate or unclear: the main road is on the west edge, not an entrance, and the maps show one dock area rather than an increase in the number of docks. The overview mentions new buildings but misses the most important changes, including the exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas and the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel and private beach. The description also stops before reporting several present-day features. Select the major changes accurately and compare the two plans directly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and descriptions of the earlier and current plans. Time markers such as “In 2000” and “On the other hand” help signal the intended comparison. However, progression is weakened by unclear links between features, as in “one main entrance on west side which connect with main road,” and the final paragraph ends mid-sentence, leaving the current-plan description incomplete. Some information is also grouped imprecisely, so the reader cannot easily follow locations or distinguish what changed from what remained. Organise the body by area or by major change, and use clear references such as “the northern basin” and “the southern beach” to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “harbour,” “private yachts,” “fishing boats,” “passengers ferries,” and “showers and toilets.” This gives you a basic range for describing the map. However, word choice and spelling errors are noticeable and sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow: “refreshment section” does not accurately describe the facilities, while “dadicated places” and “raod” are misspelled. Several phrases are also imprecise, such as “new entrance build” and “buildings construct,” and “parking” is used where “car park” would be clearer. Aim for accurate map vocabulary and check spelling and collocations; precise terms will help you report changes without ambiguity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

There is an attempt to use both simple and more extended sentences, for example, “The map illustrates the changes…” and the clause beginning “which connect with main road.” However, grammatical errors are frequent and can obscure relationships between features. Examples include “the changes are made,” “significant development occur,” “the number of docks increase,” and “the porth harbour have,” where tense, agreement, or verb forms are incorrect. Articles and sentence completion also need attention: “on west side” lacks an article, and the final sentence is unfinished. Use past tense for the 2000 plan and present tense for today, and build shorter, complete sentences before attempting longer comparisons.

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

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