Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-25
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 4.0)
The plans show in 2000 harbour look and now the present day harbour look. There are many changing in this place.
In 2000 harbour consisted of two gates where people enter in the place. First gate have a car park and in the left side shower and toilets to the front side a marina private yachts and the front side have a dock and on the other side have a public beach and passenger femes.
The second gate have a car park on the right side of the park have a fishing boats and the road side have a lifeboat and the other side of lifeboat have a public beach and castle.
Today harbour consist of three gates on the first gate have a car park on this side a showers and toilets on the front side have a fishing boats and two dock part and have a public beach
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response attempts to describe the changes shown in the two maps of Porth Harbour, mentioning some features such as car parks, a marina, docks, and a public beach. However, the summary is severely incomplete, lacks a proper overview, and stops abruptly mid-sentence. Key structural transformations—such as the swapping of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafés and shops, and the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel and private beach—are omitted or poorly understood. The description relies heavily on awkward references to 'gates' rather than spatial locations, meaning the task is only minimally addressed. Under the band descriptors, this corresponds to Band 4.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
The text suffers from a major lack of logical organisation and clear progression. The writing is divided into short, disjointed paragraphs that fail to guide the reader effectively through the visual data. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, and referencing is unclear (e.g. repeatedly using 'gates' to organise the description). Furthermore, the response trails off abruptly without a concluding sentence. Paragraphing is inadequate, and the lack of overall structural coherence significantly impedes the flow of information. This aligns with the Band 4.0 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.0
The vocabulary used is very basic, repetitive, and heavily dependent on words lifted directly from the prompt (e.g. 'car park', 'marina', 'fishing boats', 'public beach'). There are frequent word choice and lexical errors, such as 'changing' instead of 'changes', 'femes' instead of 'ferries', and 'dock part'. The restricted range of vocabulary and incorrect collocations strain the reader and obscure meaning in several places. This falls squarely into Band 4.0, where vocabulary is basic and errors frequently occur.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0
Grammatically, the response demonstrates a very limited range of structures. Most sentences are simple or attempt complex forms that result in heavy structural errors and run-on phrasing (e.g., 'First gate have a car park and in the left side shower and toilets to the front side a marina private yachts...'). There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement, verb tenses (mixing past and present haphazardly), and missing prepositions or articles. These errors occur throughout the text and frequently impede communication, reflecting the criteria for Band 4.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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