Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-11

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 4.0)

The plans illustrate show a harbour in 2000 and how it looks today. Overall, it is clear that Porth Harbour in 2000 the main road the right side car park in near side Marina private yachts and bottom fishing boats in simple road and near life boat .Howerer, Porth Harbour today changed all thing firstly, The main road car park near changed fishing boats on the top and bottom new car par and Marina private yachts and the simple road in life boat in near left side new cafes and shops . In 2000 Porth harbour the east side in public beach in the top of and west side under dock and pessenger femes , the west side showers and tiolets near parina private yacts , The south side sime road and life boat and bottom castle discused

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the two time periods and mention several relevant features, including the marina, fishing boats, cafés and shops, the beaches, and the castle. However, the comparison is difficult to follow and some locations or changes are unclear; for example, the opening description places features around the “right side” and “bottom” without reliably explaining what moved or was added. The overview does not clearly summarise the main transformation, and several important changes—such as the hotel replacing the disused castle and the southern beach becoming private—are not accurately reported. The response is also below the required 150 words: 128 words, with 10 copied prompt words excluded. Develop a clear overview and describe the principal changes precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

There is an attempt to organise the response by contrasting 2000 with today, using phrases such as “Overall” and “In 2000.” These provide a basic sense of sequence. However, the writing is largely one continuous, loosely connected passage, and the ideas do not progress in a clear order. The long opening sentence combines several locations and changes, making their relationships hard to understand; the later list of features also shifts between map areas without clear transitions. Some linking words, including “However” and “firstly,” do not establish a clear contrast or sequence. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the two maps, then group details by location or by major change, with clear references such as “in the northern basin” and “to the south.”

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “harbour,” “car park,” “marina,” “fishing boats,” and “public beach,” so the reader can recognise the general subject. There are also attempts to describe change, such as “changed” and “new.” However, the range is limited and several misspellings or inaccurate forms make key details difficult to identify, including “pessenger femes,” “tiolets,” and “parina private yacts.” Some phrases are not precise enough for map description, such as “changed all thing” and “near side.” Build a reliable set of location and change expressions, and check spelling carefully. For example, use “relocated to the northern basin” rather than a vague statement that features “changed.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to form longer sentences and use time references, for example, “Porth Harbour today changed all thing” and “In 2000 Porth harbour…,” but sentence structures are often incomplete or difficult to interpret. Articles and prepositions are frequently missing or misplaced, and clauses are joined without clear grammatical relationships, as in “the east side in public beach in the top of and west side under dock.” Verb forms and sentence boundaries also need attention. These problems make it hard to understand how the harbour changed, despite the reader being able to identify some individual features. Practise writing short, complete comparison sentences first—for example, “The marina was moved from the northern basin to the southern one”—then combine them using accurate conjunctions and punctuation.

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