Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-22
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 plans illustrate the changes to a harbour between 2000 and the present today.
Overall, the most noticeable change is dockyard path extended. Castle coverted into a hotel. Fishing boats and showers & toilets are relocated.
In 2000, the porth harbour has a castle near the public beach. Fishing boats and car park was located to the opposite of marina(private yachts and showers & toilets, and close to the main road. On the outskirt of the public beach one dockyard was present.
The porth harbour underwent considerable development between 2000 and the present day, with the castle coverted into a hotel and sevral new features added along the main road. Two dockyard path established adjacent to the public beach. Cafes and shops are added close to the lifeboat. Marina(private yachts) and showers & toilets are added to the south of main road. Fishing boats stands where the marina (private yachts) once was. Meanwhile, private beach is opened fo rthe 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 covers several key changes shown on the maps, such as the castle being converted into a hotel, the swapping of the marina and fishing boats, and the addition of cafés and shops. However, the overview in the second paragraph is underdeveloped and disjointed, featuring fragmented sentences like 'most noticeable change is dockyard path extended.' While the student attempts to summarise the main features, some details are inaccurate or confusingly expressed, such as claiming the dockyard path extended or stating 'private beach is opened fo rthe hotel.' Overall, the response addresses the prompt and identifies several spatial transformations, but the lack of a cohesive, fully developed overview limits the score to a band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay attempts a paragraph structure with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing the map features. However, the progression is disjointed, particularly in the brief overview paragraph which consists of isolated fragments ('most noticeable change is dockyard path extended. Castle coverted into a hotel.'). Cohesive devices are used minimally and sometimes inappropriately, such as abrupt transitions between sentences and paragraphs. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow of ideas within paragraphs lacks seamless connection, resulting in a somewhat mechanical and halting reading experience. Consequently, this criterion corresponds to a band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with frequent reliance on exact terms from the prompt such as 'car park', 'fishing boats', 'Marina', and 'public beach'. There are several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including 'coverted' instead of 'converted', 'sevral', and 'fo rthe'. While the writer attempts some less common vocabulary items like 'relocated', 'adjacent', and 'considerable development', inaccurate word forms and spelling mistakes ('dockyard path established') impede clarity at times. This reflects the characteristics of a band 5.0 lexical range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic subject-verb-object constructions. Attempts at more complex sentences often contain serious errors, such as missing articles, incorrect prepositions, and faulty verb forms (e.g., 'Fishing boats stands where the marina once was', 'Fishing boats and car park was located'). Punctuation and spelling errors are also frequent throughout the text. Because errors occur frequently and can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader in untangling the intended meaning, the grammar aligns with a band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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