Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-01
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)
Information about the development and the changes occured in hardour, comparing how it looks today than in 2000 is illustrated by the provide maps
Overall, the map shows the development and the change happens in current time compared to 2000, in which increasing of accomodation and extra development of dock is seen clearly. In addition, development of the new space is shown in current time
Scrutizing deeper into obtainable information, the development of extra dock,showers,toilets, cafe and shops is happen in current times , while the castle which is locate at southeast side of the maps has turned into hotel
furthermore
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
First, it is important to note that the response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, stopping abruptly at only 101 words. Regarding content, the student attempts to address the task by noting some differences between the 2000 and current layouts of the harbour, such as the addition of cafés and shops, and the conversion of the disused castle into a hotel. However, the coverage is very limited and skeletal, leaving major features unmentioned and ideas heavily under-developed. There is no clear, fully realised overview provided, and the incomplete nature of the response severely restricts its ability to fully report the main features and comparisons.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response shows some basic organisation with an introductory sentence and subsequent attempts at elaboration, but there is no clear overall progression due to the fragmented and incomplete writing that ends mid-sentence with "furthermore". Cohesive devices are basic and repetitive, and referencing is sometimes unclear, such as vague phrases like "the development of the new space is shown in current time". Paragraphing is also disrupted by the incomplete text structure, preventing a fully coherent and logical arrangement of information throughout the essay.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task, featuring basic items and repetitive phrasing such as "development", "changes", and "current time". There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, including spelling mistakes like "occured" instead of occurred, "hardour" instead of harbour, and "Scrutizing" instead of scrutinising. These errors and the narrow range of vocabulary restrict the response, though the core meaning remains partially understandable despite the lexical limitations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writing demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures. Attempts at complex or passive constructions are often faulty, as seen in "changes occured in hardour, comparing how it looks today than in 2000 is illustrated by the provide maps" and "the development of extra dock,showers,toilets, cafe and shops is happen in current times". There are frequent grammatical errors involving verb forms, missing articles, awkward prepositions, and punctuation omissions. These errors cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and reflect a weak control of basic grammatical patterns.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.