Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-06
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 illustrates how a harbour looks in 2000 and today.
Overall, slight changes occurre in porth harbour during the period of 2000 and today. Marina and fishing boats replaced each other postion. Dock area was congested in 2000 as of now. Cafes and shops were not available in 2000 but now they are added. In 2000, there was a public beach available but it has been converted to private and similarly, castle is now replaced with hotel.
In details, a main road is connected with porth harbour. A link road was provided in year 2000 and it still exists. A car park is located in the south and north along with showers and toilets. Dock area was congested and now it has been increased. Passenger ferries were available in 2000 and they are also available now. Cafes and shops are located nera
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response partially addresses the task. While it identifies some key changes, such as the swapping of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafes and shops, and the conversion of the beach and castle, the information is somewhat generalised and lacks precise reporting of locations. Furthermore, the length requirement is not met, as the response falls short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 143 words. To reach a higher level, the response needs to fully develop all main features with greater clarity and detail while ensuring the minimum word count is satisfied.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response shows some organisation with basic attempts at paragraphing and sequencing, but there is a lack of clear overall progression. Transitional devices are limited and repetitive, and phrases such as 'In details' are awkward. Pronoun referencing and linking between sentences are occasionally faulty, causing the flow to feel mechanical. To improve, the writer should use a wider and more accurate range of cohesive devices to connect ideas smoothly and structure paragraphs logically to guide the reader through the comparison of the two maps.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task, with noticeable errors that occasionally hinder clarity. There are issues with word choice and form, such as 'occurre' instead of 'occurred', 'postion' instead of 'position', and 'nera' instead of 'near'. The student also relies heavily on basic repetition of terms from the prompt rather than demonstrating a flexible range of synonyms. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate less common lexical items with correct spelling and collocations, such as 'relocated', 'transformed', or 'amenities'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response relies on a limited range of sentence structures, with frequent errors in grammar, tense usage, and articles. For instance, mixing past and present tenses inconsistently ('how a harbour looks in 2000', 'changes occurre') creates confusion. There are also errors in subject-verb agreement and missing articles. Attempts at complex sentences often result in faulty punctuation or grammatical awkwardness. To progress, the writer should demonstrate better control over past and present tenses when describing maps and aim for a greater variety of error-free complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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