Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-27

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)

Two plans have illustrated the Porth Harbour looks today and in 2000 with a differences at facilities.

It seems that the Harbour had a showers & toilets just near the small car bark. Passenger ferries are close a dock just near a public beach on North East corner of Harbour. The castle which is located South East corner of map, was not used in 2000. Today, some facilities has been displaced while others are increased in its number. The Showers& toilets and car parks have been doubled, the new one is between the car parks. Castle has been replaced to Hotel which occupied one of the public beach. In addition, cafe's & shops has been placed just near the Marine (private yachts). Fishing boats and Marina have switched during this time. The number of ferries those ner the docks have been increased. The public beach, which is on the right corner of Porth remain same place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the harbour plans, noting the changes in facilities and the addition of the hotel. However, the description is somewhat disjointed and lacks a clear overview. While you mention that some facilities have been displaced or increased, a more structured summary of the most significant changes (e.g., the expansion of the marina and the conversion of the castle) would improve the response. Some details, such as the location of the hotel, are slightly inaccurate based on the visual evidence provided. To improve, ensure you clearly group related features and provide a more cohesive summary of the overall transformation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organised into a single block of text, which makes it difficult to follow. Paragraphing is essential in IELTS writing to separate the introduction/overview from the body paragraphs. While there are some attempts at cohesive devices like 'In addition' and 'Today', the flow between sentences is often mechanical. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'the new one is between the car parks', which lacks a clear antecedent. To reach a higher band, you should use clear paragraph breaks and a wider variety of linking words to guide the reader through the comparison of the two time periods.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on basic terms like 'displaced', 'increased', and 'remains same place'. There are also some awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'car bark' instead of 'car park' and 'Castle has been replaced to Hotel'. To improve, focus on using more specific terminology related to maps and urban development, such as 'converted into', 'expanded', 'relocated', or 'situated'. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and verbs will help you convey the changes more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'some facilities has been displaced', 'cafe's & shops has been placed') and article usage (e.g., 'close a dock', 'on North East corner'). The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of definite and indefinite articles. Additionally, try to incorporate a wider range of complex structures, such as passive voice or relative clauses, to describe the changes more accurately.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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