Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-28

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 in the images show Harbour's layout in 2000 and its present-day arrangement. Overall, Porth Harbour has modernized considerably.

In 2000, a main road ran along the west side. That road led to three ways, including a car park and a road. One parking area leads to the east side, and the second and third ways lead south. At the top of the north, there were a public beach, a dock, private yachts at the marina, and a showers and toilets area beside the marina. Additionally, there were ferries on the beach for passengers and, particularly, boats for fishing. A roadside that leads towards the lifeboat and castle, which is disused.

Today's Porth Harbour is much more modern than before. For instance, there are two separate showers and toilet sections by the side of the car parks. Additionally, they built cafes and shops for the public. Moreover, a private beach has been developed, and the hotel has replaced the castle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response attempts to describe the main features of Porth Harbour in 2000 and today, providing an overview and mentioning several changes such as the replacement of the castle with a hotel and the addition of cafés, shops, and a private beach. However, the task achievement is limited by incomplete descriptions and inaccurate spatial reporting. For instance, the student states that 'ferries on the beach for passengers' existed in 2000, which misinterprets the map. Furthermore, key features such as the swapping of the marina and fishing boats are missed, and the description of the 2000 layout is confused and hard to follow. While some features are covered, the overall development lacks precision, placing it within Band 5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs for the past and present layouts. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. For example, the sentence 'That road led to three ways, including a car park and a road' is confusing and lacks logical sequencing. Cohesive devices are minimal or misused (e.g., 'At the top of the north'), and referencing is occasionally faulty, making it difficult to track locations across the map. Paragraphing is attempted but lacks effective overall management, corresponding to Band 5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive ('modern', 'car park', 'beach'). There are attempts to use less common vocabulary items such as 'arrangement', 'modernized considerably', and 'development', but word choice and collocation errors are noticeable, such as 'ferries on the beach' and 'three ways'. Spelling is generally accurate, but the limited range of vocabulary and lexical inaccuracies cause some difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many complex structures are faulty or awkwardly phrased, such as 'A roadside that leads towards the lifeboat and castle, which is disused' (which is a sentence fragment). There are frequent errors in verb tenses and prepositions ('At the top of the north', 'by the side of the car parks'). These grammatical errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader, though basic communication is generally maintained. This performance aligns closely with Band 5.

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