Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-12

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 shows the changes of harbour in 2000 and how it look like today in peersent.

Overall, this picture shows the west side harbour stay same but just change in car parking. On the north side looks constant also in east also on the south side few changes.

so in 2000 there is only two enterence from the main road one is connected to parking and then toilets and showers, then and a private yachts. there is also public beach with few boats in water pessenger on it. the second enterance also have carparking further on road public beach and castle.

in nowadays the north side of harbour stay constant. on the west side three gates two are directly connected with parking, after first parking also new fishing boat then second parking have private yachts. the last enterance directly connected with cafe and lifeboat through the inside road, also a path goes to new hotel infront of that there is also a private beach only for hotel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant changes, including the relocation of the marina, the addition of a hotel and private beach, and new cafés and shops. However, the overview is unclear and includes inaccurate claims: “the west side harbour stay same” and “the north side ... stay constant” overlook substantial changes. The northern basin changes from a marina to fishing boats, and the dock gains another jetty and boat. Some details are also misreported or too vague: the maps do not show “three gates,” and the public beach is not described as being beside boats. To improve, give a clear overview of the main redevelopment, then compare the key locations accurately rather than relying on general statements such as “few changes.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence, moving from an attempted overview to the 2000 layout and then the present-day layout. This gives the reader some sense of comparison, and phrases such as “in 2000” and “nowadays” help signal time. However, the overview is difficult to follow, and the body paragraphs do not consistently group features by location or type of change. Several long sentences join multiple ideas with “and,” while “also” and “then” are repeated without making the relationships clear. For example, the first description of 2000 combines entrances, parking, facilities, yachts and beaches in one sentence. Use separate, clearly focused paragraphs and link each change explicitly to its earlier arrangement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “harbour,” “private yachts,” “lifeboat,” “cafe” and “private beach,” so the reader can recognise several map features. However, the range is limited and some expressions are imprecise or incorrectly formed, which makes parts of the description hard to interpret. “Enterence” is repeated, “carparking” is not the natural form, and “gates” does not accurately describe the access points shown. Phrases such as “few boats in water pessenger on it” are especially unclear. Build a more precise set of map terms, such as “located,” “replaced by,” “relocated to” and “harbour entrance,” and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to describe changes across time, but grammatical control is weak and errors frequently make relationships difficult to understand. Examples include “The shows the changes,” “how it look like today,” and “the west side harbour stay same,” where articles, verb forms and agreement are missing or incorrect. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also unreliable: the long sentence beginning “so in 2000” strings several features together, making it unclear which details belong together. Most clauses follow a simple pattern, with little accurate use of complex structures. Practise forming clear past and present comparisons, for example, “In 2000, the marina was in the northern basin; today, it has been moved south.”

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