Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-23

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 planes, showing a Porth Harbour that compares how it look in the year 2000 vs today.

From the plane, it is clearly seen that there is a rising number of advancement in 2000's as regarding today. On west side of the Porth harbour the parking slots for automobiles, as well as shower and toilet areas fluctuates. On the north side, the number of docks also rises. Whereas on the west side of Harbour, there is addition of cafes and markets, on the left area of lifeboat. On the south side of it, the road that once leads to the Castle, is now the way to hotel, followed by the conversion of public beach into private beach, which is now the property of hotel.

In conclusion, it is clearly seen that the Porth Harbour in 2000's have a variety of conversions as compared to today on each side of the Harbour

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarize the changes between the two maps, but it fails to clearly identify the main features or provide a coherent overview. The description of the changes is often confusing and inaccurate; for instance, stating that parking slots 'fluctuates' is imprecise, and the claim that there is a 'rising number of advancement' is vague and does not describe the physical changes shown in the diagrams. The report lacks a clear summary of the most significant transformations, such as the expansion of the harbour facilities or the commercialization of the area. Consequently, the response does not fully address the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into three short paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is disjointed. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'Whereas', 'In conclusion'), they are often applied incorrectly or in a way that does not improve the flow of information. The referencing is frequently unclear, particularly when referring to directions like 'left area of lifeboat' or 'west side of Harbour', which makes it difficult for the reader to follow the spatial changes. Paragraphing is present but lacks logical development, as the conclusion merely repeats the prompt rather than synthesizing the key findings.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and often misused. Phrases such as 'rising number of advancement' and 'conversion of public beach into private beach' are awkward and do not accurately reflect the visual data. There are also errors in word choice, such as using 'planes' instead of 'plans' and 'fluctuates' to describe static features. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to describe the changes in a precise or academic manner, which hinders the clarity of the report. To improve, you should focus on using specific terminology related to map descriptions, such as 'expanded', 'constructed', or 'replaced'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the road that once leads', 'Porth Harbour... have a variety'), incorrect article usage, and awkward sentence structures. The attempt at complex sentences is limited, and the errors are persistent throughout the text. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and apostrophes (e.g., '2000's'). A greater focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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