Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-14
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 a harbour from 2000 to looks today After analyzing the plans and it can be seen crearly that north west showers & toilets same from 2000 to today and aproximatily Marina private yachts change in Fishing boats while car park same 2000 from today whilst north east Dock in 2000 two and today dock three south west in 2000 passenger ferries same today whilst public beach in 2000same today and road change
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the ability to fully develop the task. While you have identified some key features of the harbour, such as the changes to the marina and the docks, the report is far too brief to provide a comprehensive summary. You have not included an overview or a clear comparison of the overall trends, and the information is presented in a fragmented, list-like manner. To improve, you must expand your analysis by grouping features logically and providing more descriptive detail about the changes observed between 2000 and the present day.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0
The response lacks paragraphing and logical structure. It reads as a series of disjointed notes rather than a cohesive report. There is a lack of linking words or cohesive devices to connect the ideas, making the progression of information difficult to follow. For example, phrases like 'whilst' are used, but they do not effectively bridge the ideas. To achieve a higher band, you should organize your writing into clear paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific changes. Using transition signals such as 'In contrast,' 'Furthermore,' or 'Regarding the...' would greatly improve the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.0
The vocabulary is very limited and repetitive. You rely on basic terms like 'same' and 'change' to describe the developments, which does not demonstrate the range required for IELTS. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'crearly' instead of 'clearly' and 'aproximatily' instead of 'approximately'. To improve, you need to use a wider variety of verbs and adjectives to describe change, such as 'remained unchanged,' 'was replaced by,' or 'underwent significant development.' Expanding your vocabulary will help you describe the visual data with more precision and sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0
The grammar is highly problematic, with frequent errors in sentence structure, punctuation, and word order. Many of your sentences are incomplete or lack necessary articles and prepositions, such as 'north west showers & toilets same from 2000 to today.' This makes the text difficult to read and understand. You should focus on writing complete, grammatically correct sentences with a subject, verb, and object. Practice using complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses or passive voice, to describe the changes in the harbour, and ensure you proofread your work to correct basic errors in tense and word usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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