Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-09

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)

This first map shows the main features of Porth Harbour in 2000. While the other map shows the changes in the Port Harbour present day.

Overall, the harbour has undergone a dramatic transformation from a fishing and industrial port into a tourist-oriented area. The main dock area has been redeveloped, the castle and its surroundings has become a major tourist attraction, and many new commercial facilities have

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response identifies the two maps and offers a relevant overview, describing a shift towards tourism and mentioning redevelopment of the dock and castle area. However, it does not go on to summarise the main changes in sufficient detail: there is no account of the marina and fishing boats exchanging locations, the added facilities, or the hotel’s private beach. The claim that the castle area has become a “major tourist attraction” is only partly supported; the map shows a hotel replacing the disused castle, not the scale of an attraction. The response also ends mid-sentence (“many new commercial facilities have”), leaving an idea incomplete. The required minimum of 150 words is not met, which contributes to the task being addressed only minimally. Develop the overview with accurate, specific comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: the opening identifies the maps, and “Overall” introduces a summary of the broad change. The contrast signalled by “While” also indicates an effort to connect the two time periods. However, the opening uses “While” to begin a sentence that is not completed with a contrasting main clause, and the final sentence stops after “have,” so the progression is incomplete. With only a few sentences, there is no developed sequence of details or paragraphing to guide the reader through the changes. Use a complete introductory sentence, then organise the main changes into a clear paragraph, grouping related developments such as relocated harbour uses and new visitor facilities.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses some appropriate topic vocabulary, including “harbour,” “dock area,” “redeveloped,” and “tourist-oriented,” and “dramatic transformation” conveys the scale of change. These choices show some range beyond basic description. However, the vocabulary is not supported by specific map details, and “major tourist attraction” overstates what is shown: the map identifies a hotel replacing the castle. “Commercial facilities” is also too general when the map names cafés and shops, while “Port Harbour” differs from the map’s label, “Porth Harbour.” The unfinished phrase “many new commercial facilities have” further limits the effective use of vocabulary. Use precise labels from the map and avoid claims that go beyond the visual evidence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a complex contrast in “While the other map shows the changes,” but this is a dependent clause used as a sentence, so the comparison is grammatically incomplete. In “the castle and its surroundings has become,” the plural subject requires “have become.” The final clause, “many new commercial facilities have,” is also unfinished because it lacks a completed predicate. The first sentence is otherwise a clear simple statement, and the overall meaning remains understandable, but the short response provides little evidence of a controlled range of sentence forms. Practise combining the map introduction into a complete sentence and check subject–verb agreement and sentence completion before finishing.

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