Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-03
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 plan illlustrates the clear comparasion between the porth harbour in 2000 as compared to porth harbour today.
According to the plan in 2000 there were only one shower and toilets and two car park one coming from the main road and other from the road at the south and adjacent to one shower and toilet and car park there was a marina(private yachts) and the car park coming from south has fishing boats where as in today the number of shower and toilets have increase by one and now both the car and park are coming from the main road and both have shower and toilets with them and adjacent things are gone extreme opposite means fishing boat has been replaced by private yachts and vice versa also.
In 2000 there were only 2 docks but in today the number of docks also increase by 1. In 2000 there was only life boat only and the place between fishing boats and life boat remains empty but today the place is occupied with coffee and shops.In 2000 there were 2 public beachesbut today the public beach in the south have becomes a private beach only for the hotels because of the construction of hotel today and the place of disused castle
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response attempts to address the prompt by describing the main changes between the 2000 map and the current layout of Porth Harbour, but it does so only partially. While some key features are noted, such as the additions of the hotel and the conversion of the public beach to a private one, other details are inaccurate or confusingly expressed. For instance, the description of the docks and the relocation of the marina and fishing boats lacks clarity. The response would be improved by providing a clearer overall summary of the major structural transformations and ensuring that the selected details are reported accurately without confusion.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The text suffers from a lack of proper paragraphing and organization, as it is written as a single dense block of text, which hinders the logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are minimal, mechanical, and frequently misused, leading to run-on sentences that make it difficult for the reader to follow the sequence of changes. For example, ideas flow into one another using repetitive connectors like 'and' or 'in 2000' without appropriate punctuation or transition words. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to group related information into distinct paragraphs and use a wider, more accurate range of cohesive links to structure the comparison.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and basic, with frequent lexical inaccuracies and inappropriate word choices, such as writing 'illlustrates' (spelling) and 'coffee' instead of 'cafés'. The range of vocabulary is barely adequate to communicate the intended message, and terms related to map reading and spatial relationships are handled poorly. There are noticeable errors in word forms and collocations, which occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, the student should expand their repertoire of descriptive vocabulary, particularly terms useful for describing geographical changes, and pay closer attention to spelling and precise word choices.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on long, unpunctuated run-on sentences joined by coordinating conjunctions. There are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles ('the main road', 'a marina'), incorrect pluralisation ('shower and toilets', 'car park'), and problems with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency. These frequent errors disrupt the flow and can cause difficulty for the reader in untangling complex relationships. To achieve a better score, the writer must incorporate a mix of simple and complex structures with greater control over punctuation, articles, and basic sentence boundaries.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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