Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-17
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 illustrates the changes of porth harbour between 2000 and current year.
Overall, several new features were added while some areas remained unchanged.
In the previous layout, Showers and toilets area was located in the west side towards the main road. And both stayed the same in the old one and the current one. Few major changes in both the plans is marina private yachts has been replaced into fishing boats in the new map and same goes for fishing boats section. The dock area was smaller in the old plan. In the present layout, it completely transformed into large section.
On the other hand several new facilities has been added in the new map towards the road side such as cafes and shops. Few primary changes are there such as castle place has been converted into hotel in the new one and the public beach area is transformed into private beach for the 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 attempts to summarise the main changes between the two maps, but it struggles with accuracy and completeness. While the writer identifies some key transformations, such as the swap between the marina and the fishing boats, and the addition of cafés, shops, and a hotel replacing the castle, there are several misinterpretations and vague statements. For example, the claim that the dock 'completely transformed into large section' lacks clarity, and the description of unchanged areas is overly generalised. Furthermore, the overview is brief and does not fully capture the extent of the restructuring. To achieve a higher band, the student should provide a clearer overall trend and more precise descriptions of spatial shifts without relying on vague phrasing.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is divided into logical paragraphs, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing specific alterations. However, the progression is sometimes disjointed. Cohesive devices are limited and occasionally used incorrectly, such as the awkward transition 'And both stayed the same in the old one and the current one' and 'Few major changes in both the plans is...'. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion requires better linking words to guide the reader smoothly between spatial comparisons. Overall organisation is adequate for a basic summary, but the mechanical nature of the links pulls down the score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, frequently reusing words like 'map', 'plan', 'new', and 'area'. There are also lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'current year' instead of 'the present day' and 'marina private yachts has been replaced into fishing boats' rather than 'swapped with' or 'converted into'. While the candidate successfully attempts some less common items like 'transformed' and 'facilities', the overall range remains narrow and insufficient for precision. Spelling is generally accurate, but word choice errors occasionally require the reader to double-check the intended meaning.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical errors are frequent. There are issues with subject-verb agreement and prepositional use, such as 'changes of porth harbour', 'in the west side towards', and 'several new facilities has been added'. Articles are also frequently misused or omitted ('in the west side', 'into hotel', 'the public beach area'). Although these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur across many sentences, preventing the student from accessing higher band scores which require a majority of error-free sentences.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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