Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-10

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)

There are two diagrams shown in the figure which represent the maps of a Porth Harbour in the start of the twenty-first century and today.

The Porth Harbour has gone through a big transition during twenty six years from 2000 to 2026 which includes the introduction of a hotel, cafe and shops. The basic map remains the same.

The big transition is the replacement of castle which was abandoned and useless into a hotel and then the public beach was made specific for the private beach for the hotel. and a road introduced which jointed the hotel with the s

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the broad change from a disused castle to a hotel and notes that the hotel’s beach becomes private, so it includes a few relevant features. However, it addresses the task only minimally: it gives no clear, complete overview of the harbour’s main changes and omits major developments such as the marina and fishing boats changing locations, the added facilities, and the altered dock. The claim that a road was introduced is inaccurate; the road is shown in both plans. The response also stops mid-sentence at “the s,” leaving the final point incomplete. At 100 words, it is 50 words below the required minimum. To improve, report the principal changes accurately and add key comparisons in a complete summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence introduces the maps, a second paragraph gives a general comment, and a final paragraph begins to describe a change. This provides some paragraphing, but there is no clear progression through the main features, and the final sentence is cut off at “the s,” which leaves the relationship between ideas unfinished. Linking is also limited; “and then” is used to connect changes without clearly showing how they relate. Organise the report into an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph comparing specific changes, using clear links such as “whereas” or “in addition” to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses some relevant vocabulary for describing plans, including “transition,” “replacement,” “hotel,” and “private beach.” These choices show an attempt to use language beyond very basic labels. However, the range is narrow and several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “big transition,” “made specific for the private beach,” and “useless” for the former castle. “Cafe and shops” also does not accurately reproduce the map’s label, “cafés & shops.” Use more precise map-description vocabulary and avoid evaluative wording that is not supported by the visual. For example, describe the castle as “replaced by a hotel” and the beach as “converted into a private beach for hotel guests.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more extended sentences, but control is uneven. The opening sentence is understandable, while “The Porth Harbour has gone through a big transition … which includes” has an unclear relative clause and awkward tense choice for comparing a past plan with today. In “the replacement of castle,” the article is missing, and “and then the public beach was made specific …” creates an incomplete, poorly connected sentence after the full stop. The final clause, “a road introduced which jointed the hotel with the s,” is unfinished and contains a faulty verb form. Aim for complete sentences with consistent past and present forms, and check articles, punctuation, and clause connections.

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