Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-29
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 4.5)
The plan illustrates porth harbour in 2000 and how its looking currently.
Overall, there are many changes made with the passage of time like adding showers and tiolets more in todays plan. Constructing a road to link hotel in harbour, additionally opening some new shops.
In past porth harbour is bordered by one main road connecting car park area and a single road toward beach and castle. Marina private yard is located in north east oppos
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which severely limits the ability to address the task. While the student attempts to identify some changes, such as the addition of showers, toilets, and shops, the description is incomplete and lacks a comprehensive overview of the harbour's transformation. Key features, such as the expansion of the marina or the changes to the beach area, are not fully developed or are missing entirely. Because the response is less than half the required length, it fails to provide a sufficient summary or make the necessary comparisons between the two time periods, resulting in a low score for task achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5
The response is fragmented and lacks a clear logical progression. While there is an attempt to use an introductory sentence and a brief overview, the body paragraph is incomplete and ends abruptly. Cohesive devices are largely absent, and the transition between the overview and the specific details is disjointed. The paragraphing is insufficient, and the overall structure does not facilitate a clear flow of information. To improve, the student should ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus and that ideas are linked using appropriate transition words to guide the reader through the comparison of the two maps.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.5
The vocabulary is very basic and repetitive. There are several spelling errors, such as 'tiolets' for 'toilets' and 'porth' which should be capitalized as a proper noun. The range of vocabulary is limited, relying on simple descriptors like 'many changes' and 'new shops' rather than more precise terminology suitable for describing maps, such as 'extended', 'converted', or 'demolished'. The lack of variety and the presence of spelling mistakes indicate a limited lexical range that struggles to convey the information effectively. Expanding the vocabulary to include more descriptive verbs and nouns related to urban planning would be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that impede clarity. There are issues with verb tense consistency, such as 'how its looking currently' instead of 'how it looks today'. Sentence structure is often simplistic or incomplete, such as 'In past porth harbour is bordered by...', which lacks correct prepositional usage and tense agreement. Punctuation is also inconsistent, and there is a lack of complex sentence structures. To reach a higher band, the student needs to focus on subject-verb agreement, correct tense usage for describing past and present states, and the construction of more complex, error-free sentences.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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