Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-08

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 map depicts a harbour in 2000 and how it looks now.

Overall, There are many developments have taken place on the site. The numbers of dock increased in this time frame. Many development activities take place as priavatisation and publication.

On the north-east side of the Porth harbour. There used to be 2 docks for passenger ferries, while one more dock has been constructed for ferries. However, the publich beach remains the same. In 2000, there used to be a smaller cube for a Marina for private yachts at the exact left side of the dock and on the southern side of this there used to be place for Fishing boats, which is now swapped and both takeover eachother's places.

While the West-South corner remains almost the same except a new developement of showers and toilets in between two car parks. At the same time on the South-East corner there are several changes can be noticed as cafes and shops have constructed completely on the west side of lifeboat area. in addition to that there used to be a small public beach and a castle which are now takeover by a private Hotel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two time periods and report several important changes, including the exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas, the added facilities, and the replacement of the castle by a hotel. However, the overview is unclear: “Many development activities take place as priavatisation and publication” does not accurately summarise the main pattern. Some details are also misreported or imprecise. The map shows one dock in 2000 with passenger ferries nearby, not “2 docks for passenger ferries”; the extra jetty and two berthed boats are the changes today. The southern beach becomes private for the hotel, rather than being taken over by the hotel itself. Covering these features accurately and giving a clear overview would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the harbour’s northern and southern areas. This gives the reader some organisation. However, progression is not consistently clear: the overview is difficult to understand, and the second paragraph combines several northern features in a long sentence before shifting to the beach. Linking expressions such as “However,” “While,” and “At the same time” are used, but some do not show the relationship between ideas accurately. For example, “While the West-South corner remains almost the same” is followed by a new facility, so the contrast is unclear. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and key changes, and group details by location or type of change.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt some task-relevant vocabulary, including “harbour,” “private yachts,” “fishing boats,” “lifeboat,” and “car parks.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations make the description unclear. “The numbers of dock increased” is not a natural way to describe the change, while “takeover eachother's places” and “takeover by a private Hotel” are inaccurate expressions. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “priavatisation,” “publich,” and “developement.” Choose precise map vocabulary and check spelling carefully; for example, describe the marina and fishing-boat areas as having “switched locations,” and say that the castle was “replaced by a hotel.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use both simple statements and attempts at longer, more complex sentences, but the longer structures are often faulty, and errors sometimes make relationships between features hard to follow. For example, “There are many developments have taken place” combines incompatible verb patterns; write “Many developments have taken place.” In “there are several changes can be noticed,” the passive construction needs “there are several changes that can be noticed” or “several changes can be noticed.” Sentence boundaries and capitalisation are also inconsistent: “On the north-east side of the Porth harbour.” is a fragment, and “in addition to that” begins a sentence without a capital. Practise accurate clause construction, articles, and punctuation before adding more complex sentences.

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