Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-18
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 maps illustrate the transformation of one place called Harbour from 2000 and today.
It is clear that in today there is little developments in many sides of this place are visible rather than in 2000.
In 2000 there was public beach in north-eastern side of the place and a dock area is also there, where two passengers ferries are available. And slidely in their left side there was a place for marina (private yachts), besides there shower and toilet place. Just front of toilet there was parking area which is connected to the main road and there were two parking area, second one is just opposite to the other one. In the middle there were fishing boats. Via western-southern road there was a way lifeboat. And the disused Castle was just near the lifeboat area ,also there was a another public beach besides castle.
Coming to the present day, everything remains quite same. In addition now there are cafes and shops available by the left side of lifeboats, another shower and toilets area are also built. The fishing boats and marina are exchange their places today. And lastly that one public beach besides Castle is available for the hotel .
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 of Porth Harbour in 2000 and today. However, the overview is extremely weak and fails to highlight the most salient overall changes, such as the general modernisation and the swapping of the marina and fishing boat locations. Furthermore, some key details are misread or confused, such as stating that 'everything remains quite same' when significant transformations occurred (e.g. the castle becoming a hotel, the addition of cafes and shops, and the change to a private beach). While the student does mention several specific features, the overall selection and reporting lack the clarity and development required for a higher band. This corresponds to Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is divided into basic paragraphs, but the logical flow is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions and confusing spatial references, such as 'Slidely in their left side' and 'Just front of toilet'. Cohesive devices are either missing, repetitive, or mechanically deployed ('In 2000...', 'Coming to the present day...'). Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion within the body paragraphs is weak, making it difficult to follow the geographical changes easily. The overall progression feels disjointed rather than logically structured. This aligns with Band 5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, relying heavily on simple terms like 'place', 'side', 'area', and 'parking area'. There are frequent lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'little developments in many sides of this place are visible rather than in 2000', 'marina and fishing boats are exchange their places', and 'public beach besides castle'. The range of vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate for the task, with noticeable inaccuracies that occasionally cause confusion for the reader. This fits the Band 5 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The text displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences ('In 2000 there was public beach...', 'In the middle there were fishing boats'). Attempts at more complex structures or prepositional phrases often result in noticeable grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('there was public beach', 'besides shower and toilet place'), incorrect verb forms ('are exchange their places'), and awkward syntax ('there is little developments in many sides of this place are visible rather than in 2000'). Errors are frequent and can cause some difficulty for the reader. This performance merits a 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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