Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-15
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 map depicts the changes that took place in Porth Harbour between 2000 and the present day. There has been several changes, the most noticable being increase in bathrooms, the installation of stalls near to the road and introduction of new road towards hotel.
In 2000, to the south east of the harbour there is Hotel and a new introduction of road connected to it was previously Castle(disused) without link to any road, moreover the public beach is now converted to private beach especially for the hotel. On the other side near to the public beach where there was single dock area, will be double in present.
Turning to the present map it can be sum that fishing boats and Marina (private yachts) swapped there places,cafes and shops are installed near to the road, while the road connected to car pak is changed and linked with the main road, in addition shower and toilets are added near to this car park. Dock area gets doublled whereas Castle replaced with Hotel with new road.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to describe the main changes between the two maps, noting the swapping of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafes and shops, and the replacement of the castle with a hotel. However, there are several factual inaccuracies and time confusion. For instance, the student states that in 2000 'there is Hotel', whereas the hotel is a present-day feature replacing the former disused castle. Furthermore, the overview contains grammatical and lexical errors ('There has been several changes'), and the selection of features mixes past and present descriptions confusingly. This places the task achievement at a Band 5.0 level, as some parts are addressed, but the description contains noticeable inaccuracies and confusion regarding the temporal timeline.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is divided into three paragraphs, providing some basic structure with an introduction and two body paragraphs. However, the logical progression is weak and confused by tense errors and mixing of spatial details. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate ('Turning to the present map it can be sum that...'). Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs suffers from abrupt transitions and poor referencing. Pronoun referencing and linking between sentences are occasionally faulty, making it hard to follow the exact spatial relationships. Overall organisation is present, but progression is unclear at times, justifying a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a limited range of vocabulary with several inaccurate word choices and spelling mistakes ('noticable', 'sum', 'pak', 'doublled'). While some task-specific terms are borrowed directly from the prompt ('Marina', 'fishing boats', 'Lifeboat'), the student struggles with precise lexical control when formulating their own sentences. Repetition is evident, and collocation errors occur, such as 'increase in bathrooms' instead of public amenities or toilets, and 'double in present'. These lexical inadequacies occasionally cause strain for the reader, placing the response firmly at Band 5.0 for Lexical Resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The grammatical range is limited, consisting mostly of simple and attempted complex sentences that frequently contain errors. There are notable subject-verb agreement errors ('There has been several changes'), tense confusion (mixing past and present haphazardly, such as 'there is Hotel'), and missing articles. Punctuation is also inconsistent. Although some complex structures are attempted, they are often faulty and require effort from the reader to parse. Because frequent errors persist and affect clarity, this performance aligns with Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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