Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-26
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 diagram illustrates the proportion of changes that occur in harbour as comparedto how it previously looked in the year 2000.
Overall, the hotel is established in the place of castle and public beach is converted into private beach for hotel guests.The new showers and toilets facilities is made beside the car park,additionally one more dock is made for passenger ferries.
Currently a new hotel is made in place of castle which was there in 2000 and the beach which is onceopened for general public in year 2000, now it is converted into private beach which can only be used by hotel customers only. New cafes and shops are opened besider the lifeboat as there were only lifeboat facilities availability in the year 2000.
In the south-west corner a new showers and toilets services is made as there was only car park beside it previously. New Dock is made for passeger ferries in the north side of a map.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response covers several key features of the two maps, such as the replacement of the castle with a hotel, the conversion of the public beach into a private hotel beach, and the addition of new docks and facilities. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, capturing some of the main changes. However, the student misses several significant spatial shifts, such as the complete swapping of the marina and fishing boats locations, and some descriptions are slightly imprecise. The progression and reporting of features are somewhat repetitive across paragraphs. Therefore, the response fulfills the basic requirements of Task Achievement but lacks full development and thoroughness, corresponding to a Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs, starting with an introduction and an overview, followed by body details. However, the paragraphing is somewhat cramped, and sentences run together due to missing spaces after periods. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes repetitive. The logical progression is occasionally hindered by abrupt transitions and circular referencing of features across paragraphs. For example, details about the hotel and beach are mentioned in the overview and then repeated in the body paragraph. Overall, the organization shows an attempt at a structure, but the mechanical and faulty cohesion places it firmly at a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for a basic description of the maps, featuring terms like 'harbour', 'marina', 'dock', and 'passenger ferries'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'proportion of changes that occur', 'showers and toilets facilities is made', and 'besider the lifeboat'. Less common lexical items are attempted but frequently misused or non-idiomatic. Spelling and word-form inaccuracies are noticeable throughout the text ('passeger', 'besider', 'onceopened'). This range and accuracy profile aligns with a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'changes that occur', 'facilities is made', and 'beach which is onceopened'. Punctuation is also problematic, with missing spaces after full stops ('guests.The', 'only. New'). Complex clauses often contain structural flaws or awkward phrasing. Because these frequent errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader and impede smooth reading, the grammar score is a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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