Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-02
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 illustration gives information about Porth Harbour developments from 2000 to the present. Overall, there is many changes and new facilities in recent porth harbour as compared with previous.
It is quite evident from the plans that the harbour porth in 2000, there lot of facilities available on the both side south and north public beaches and had different types of boats two passenger boats with an area for docking, fishing boats and also a lifeboat and there were two roads first one was the main road and along side with it multiple type of facilities like showers & toilets and car park, the second road was the side road and it had another car parking area.
Meanwhile, in recent there have been multiple changes and new developments at different locations along east side of the main road, there are two car park areas and two showers & toilets facilities, also with the side road their is new development cafes & shops for the public and at the castle areas the new facility is a hotel,
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the harbour in 2000 and the present day. You have identified key changes such as the new car parks, cafes, shops, and the hotel. However, the report is incomplete as it fails to mention the removal of the original boat docking area or the changes to the lifeboat station, which are significant visual shifts. The overview is present but lacks detail regarding the overall transformation. To reach a higher band, ensure you provide a more comprehensive summary of the most significant changes rather than just listing individual features.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organised into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure for a report. However, the flow of ideas is often hindered by run-on sentences and a lack of effective cohesive devices. For example, the second paragraph is one long, rambling sentence that makes it difficult to follow the spatial description. You rely heavily on simple conjunctions like 'and' rather than using a variety of linking words or referencing to connect ideas smoothly. Paragraphing is present, but the internal cohesion within the paragraphs needs significant improvement to guide the reader through the comparison.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. You use phrases like 'there are' and 'there were' repeatedly, which limits the sophistication of your writing. There are also some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'harbour porth' (likely a misinterpretation of the name) and 'in recent' (which should be 'recently' or 'in recent years'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise verbs to describe change, such as 'transformed', 'replaced', or 'expanded', and ensure you use accurate terminology for the features shown on the map.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'there is many changes' and 'their is new development'. Punctuation is also problematic; the second paragraph is a single, comma-spliced sentence that lacks proper structure. You rely almost exclusively on simple sentence structures. To achieve a higher score, you need to demonstrate control over complex sentence forms, such as using relative clauses or subordinating conjunctions, and pay closer attention to basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with pluralisation and article usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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