Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-08
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 plans illustrate a Porth harbour in 2000 and today. overall, the harbour has undergone considerable changes from 2000 to date. the harbour experienced significant changes to the northeast and southeast of the main road. In contrast a few redevelopments have taken place at the northwest and southeast of the Lake. meanwhile some places remained unchanged.
in 2000, There were the showers and toilets as well as the car park to the northeast of the main road. To the far northeast was also the Marina private yachts. The car park and the fishing boats were located to the southeast of the main road. whereas, to the southwest of the beach was the dock and the passenger ferries. Going down to the southwestern of the beach there was the lifeboat, road and public beach and castle to the far south of the beach.
At present,
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response is incomplete as it cuts off abruptly at 'At present,', failing to describe the current state of the harbour. Because the response is under the 150-word minimum and lacks a conclusion or a description of the second half of the data, it fails to address all parts of the task. The overview provided is too brief and does not adequately summarise the main trends or significant changes. To improve, ensure you complete the description of all time periods and provide a clear, comprehensive summary of the key developments.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text is organised into two paragraphs, but the second paragraph is unfinished, which disrupts the logical flow. While there is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'meanwhile', and 'whereas', the lack of completion makes the overall progression unclear. The paragraphing is insufficient because the response ends mid-sentence. To reach a higher band, you must ensure that your ideas are fully developed and that the transition between the description of the past and the present is smooth and complete.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, using terms like 'redevelopments', 'undergone', and 'significant'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'showers and toilets' (which might be better described as 'facilities') and 'Going down to the southwestern of the beach'. The range is somewhat limited, and the repetition of 'to the' and 'of the' makes the writing feel mechanical. Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and prepositions would help improve the precision of your report.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains several grammatical errors, including issues with capitalization (e.g., 'the plans', 'overall'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing like 'the southwestern of the beach'. There is a mix of simple sentence structures, but the lack of completion prevents the demonstration of a wider range of complex structures. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and sentence starters. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for capitalization and article usage will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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