Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-19
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 provided pair of maps illustrate the structual developments in Porth Harbour from 2000 and how it looks today.
Overall, it is clear that the Porth Harbour underwent minimal development, specially in the south part of the map. Meanwhile the existing showers and toilets, Cark park, Dock, Lifeboaat remained unchanged while few replaced by others.
Looking at the north-west part of the Porth Harbour, Although showers and toilets and car park which is connected by main road remained unchanged, marina private yacths was replaced by fishing boats. Similarly finishing boats replaced marina. The Dock area and passenger ferries in the northern part did not develop much.
Turning to the north-west sector, the former castle was replaced by a hotel and the public beach next to castle was alloted to the hotel. Cafes and shops were introduced beside lifeboat. Showers and toilets were constructed in the south-west part of porth harbour beside car park which is connected to the main 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 student attempts to address the task by describing the main changes between the two maps of Porth Harbour in 2000 and today. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, stating that the harbour underwent minimal development. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and contradictory statements regarding the spatial changes. For instance, the student states that the marina and fishing boats swapped locations correctly, but then mentions that the south part saw minimal development while simultaneously detailing significant changes such as the replacement of the castle with a hotel and the addition of cafés and shops. Furthermore, some key features are missed or imprecisely located, placing the castle replacement in the north-west instead of the south-east. These limitations place the response at Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organized into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs covering different areas of the maps. However, progression and cohesion are hindered by poor referencing and contradictory directional markers. For example, the student introduces the second body paragraph with 'Looking at the north-west part of the Porth Harbour' and then begins the final paragraph with 'Turning to the north-west sector', repeating the same geographic region. Cohesive devices are used mechanically ('Overall', 'Meanwhile', 'Although', 'Similarly'), and paragraphing logic is weakened by confusing the layout of the map. Consequently, the organization feels somewhat disjointed, corresponding to a Band 5 level.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to name various map features such as 'showers and toilets', 'marina', 'fishing boats', and 'passenger ferries'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'structual' instead of 'structural', 'Cark park', 'Lifeboaat', 'yacths', and 'finishing boats' instead of 'fishing boats'. The student attempts less common vocabulary ('alloted', 'constructed'), but these are limited and marred by inaccuracies. The range of vocabulary is restricted and barely adequate to convey the specific spatial transformations, leading to a score of 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as concessive clauses ('Although showers and toilets and car park which is connected by main road remained unchanged...'). However, the grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in relative clauses, missing articles, and punctuation. Sentences like 'marina private yacths was replaced by fishing boats' lack necessary capitalization and articles. There are also dangling or incomplete clauses ('which is connected by main road'). While these errors do not completely obscure the overall meaning, their frequency and the resulting strain on the reader prevent the response from achieving a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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