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)

In the given maps there's a difference between Porth harbour (in 2000) and Current Porth harbour showing the changes happened in years.

Porth Harbour (in 2000) in the Main road first turn there is first car park leading the way all to the lifeboat and it's beside there is public beach from the view there is castle (disused) following the lifeboat there are passenger teries where the is dock along with heavy cargo ships, beside dock there is another public beach. Following the Main road in North direction in some distance there is one right turn which provides another car park some showers and toilets beside.

Portrh Harbour (today) Here it seems a lot of changes has been happened throughout the year in the first right turn to the East direction there it has been removed the car park and it has been placed closest to the old card parking and added new showes and toilet for that, first the first right turn to the east there it has added cafes& shops lifeboat and made new way to hotel which has been made the public beach has been private beach only for the hotel members where new dock had been made along with passenger ferries and fishing boats and marina (private yachs) has been replaced another public beach remains the same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify that the harbour has changed and mention several relevant features, including the hotel replacing the disused castle, the southern beach becoming private, and the north-eastern public beach remaining. However, the response only partially reports the main changes and does not give a clear overview of the most significant transformations. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the maps do not show “heavy cargo ships,” and the dock is not described as newly made; rather, it gains an additional jetty and has two boats. The marina and fishing-boat areas switch locations, but this key change is not explained clearly. To strengthen the report, summarise the major changes first, then accurately compare the facilities and harbour uses in each period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response is divided into paragraphs for the two maps, which gives it a basic structure, and phrases such as “in North direction” and “Following the Main road” attempt to guide the reader around the plans. However, there is no clear overview paragraph, and the descriptions often become long, loosely connected sequences. For example, the 2000 paragraph moves from the road to the beach, castle, ferries, dock and another beach without consistently clarifying their positions. The present-day paragraph similarly strings changes together with repeated “there” and “first.” Organise the report into an overview followed by focused comparisons, and use clear location-based links such as “in the north,” “by contrast,” and “to the south.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “car park,” “lifeboat,” “public beach,” and “private beach,” so the reader can recognise several map features. However, the range is limited and some inaccurate or informal choices make details difficult to understand. “Passenger teries” appears to mean passenger ferries, while “card parking” and “yachs” are unclear attempts at car park and yachts. Phrases such as “made new way” and “first right turn” are imprecise for describing map changes. Use accurate labels from the plans and a wider set of standard map terms, such as “relocated,” “converted into,” “adjacent to,” and “at the harbour entrance.” Check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts longer sentences and some location clauses, but grammatical control is weak and errors frequently make relationships between features hard to follow. For example, “there is first car park leading the way all to the lifeboat” lacks a clear sentence structure, while “it has been removed the car park” uses an incorrect verb pattern. Tense and agreement are also inconsistent in “a lot of changes has been happened,” and several clauses run together without effective punctuation. Use straightforward, complete sentences and maintain past tense for 2000 and present tense for today. Practise accurate passive forms, such as “the castle was replaced by a hotel,” and check articles and prepositions when describing locations.

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.