Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-11
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 illustration demonstrates the two plans of Porth harbor in different time which is back in 2000 and how it looks today.
Overall, the plan shows the improvement in terms of utilizing unused spaces in recent time which were unused back in 2000.
Starting from the main road at the South left side the main road the car parking seems to be closer in today's plan which were far back in 2000, alongside the addition of extra shower and toilets area is made in recent plan. Besides the car parking and showers and toilets, the private yacht and fishing boats areas are switched and along the way, there is also an addition of dock in recent plan which was not seen back on 2000.
Looking back to South left side of the corner taking the first right road, towards east, ther seems a significant improvement where an used
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response identifies the two time periods and notes some relevant changes, including the relocation of the marina and fishing boats and the addition of facilities. However, it does not provide a clear, complete overview of the harbour’s main transformations. Several details are inaccurate or unclear: the dock was already present in 2000, so saying it was added is incorrect, and the car park is not simply closer in the current plan. The final comparison is cut off at “an used”, leaving important changes such as the hotel replacing the disused castle and the beach becoming private unreported. The response is also two words below the required minimum. To improve, complete the summary and accurately describe the major changes.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
There is an attempt to organise the response into an introduction, an overview and detail paragraphs, and phrases such as “Overall” and “Besides” help signal relationships. However, progression is difficult to follow because the descriptions rely on vague directions such as “South left side” and “taking the first right road,” rather than clearly grouping changes by area or feature. The second detail paragraph ends abruptly, so the account has no completed final comparison. Some linking is also awkward or repetitive, as in “Starting from the main road at the South left side the main road.” A clearer sequence—overview first, then northern and southern changes—would make the information easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The response uses some task-relevant vocabulary, including “harbor,” “car parking,” “private yacht,” “fishing boats,” and “addition.” This gives it enough basic language to identify several map features. However, word choice and collocation are often imprecise or repetitive: “improvement in terms of utilizing unused spaces” is vague, and “an addition of dock” does not accurately describe the existing dock’s modification. “Different time” and “recent plan” are also less natural ways to refer to the two maps. Spelling varies from the task’s “harbour,” and “ther” is a spelling error. Use precise map vocabulary such as “relocated,” “converted,” and “replaced,” and name the features consistently.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response attempts both simple and more extended sentences, but control is uneven, particularly in longer constructions. For example, “Starting from the main road at the South left side the main road the car parking seems…” contains a repeated subject and lacks clear sentence structure. In “the car parking seems to be closer in today's plan which were far back in 2000,” the relative clause has faulty agreement and an unclear reference. Other errors include “in different time,” “an addition … is made,” and the unfinished final sentence. These problems sometimes make the intended comparisons difficult to understand. Build shorter, complete sentences first, then add subordinate clauses carefully, checking articles, agreement, tense and punctuation.
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.