Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
A comparison has been made between the Porth Harbour of the year 2000 and the one existing today.
Overall, the harbour of 2000 represents a minimal and negligible facilities while the present harbour is reconstructed and renovated for even more facilitated experience for the swimmers.
Starting with the old structure where there was a single toilet located, which is built in between the two car parks at the north-west of the main road. The area of fishing boats and marine private yachts have switched their locations, subsequently making an addition to cafes and shops on the south-west of the harbour. Additionally, two docks are made available in the present year while the previous one deficits. Moreover, the castle on the south-eastern side of the border,along the private beach particularly for the residents there, was replaced with a holel to make convenient for the people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, standing at 144 words, which negatively impacts Task Achievement. While the student attempts an overview and highlights several main changes—such as the swapping of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafes and shops, and the replacement of the castle with a hotel—the summary lacks sufficient detail and precision. For instance, the description of the car parks and toilets is confused ("single toilet located... built in between the two car parks"), and some spatial relationships are inaccurately portrayed. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to provide a more complete and accurate overview of all major spatial transformations without word-count penalties.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is divided into a brief introduction, an overview paragraph, and a body paragraph. While there is an attempt at overall organization, the progression becomes cramped and confusing in the single body paragraph. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or awkwardly, such as "Starting with the old structure where there was a single toilet located, which is built in..." (which results in a sentence fragment). Reference words like "the previous one deficits" are misused and obscure the intended meaning. Paragraphing is also suboptimal, as grouping all the varied map changes into one dense block hinders smooth logical flow and readability.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate to convey basic comparisons, but it features several inappropriate word choices, awkward collocations, and grammatical forms. Examples include "minimal and negligible facilities", "facilitated experience", "marine private yachts" instead of "marina for private yachts", "deficits" used as a verb, and a spelling typo in "holel" for hotel. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items (e.g., "reconstructed", "renovated", "subsequently"), but the lexical control is inconsistent, resulting in unnatural phrasing that occasionally strains comprehension.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The text displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is weak. There are several noticeable grammatical errors and structural fragments. For example, "where there was a single toilet located, which is built in..." is a dangling relative clause and fragment. The phrase "while the previous one deficits" misuses the verb form. Punctuation and phrasing around complex modifiers, such as "along the private beach particularly for the residents there, was replaced with a holel", lead to tangled syntax that requires effort from the reader to parse.
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