Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-14

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 4.5)

The plan illustrates a harbour both 2000 and present and what it look in the current.

Overall, the Porth Harbour was totally changed in 2000 and its place had not developed in the last time. The Porth Harbour has become successful rather than the past time.

In 2000 year, the plan was not well because the funds were not enouhg but it was more fascinating for all visitors. There were of places created in this leisure area such as car park, shower toilets castle but some place made for their people lifeboat, public beach and dock in last century.

Today, the Porth Harbour more successful greater than the old plan was very attractive for all people due to some places for example fishing boat, car park, passenger and cafe or shops.

In conclusion, the plan was more attractive for all students and visitors due to build fascinating areas in the present.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response recognises that the harbour has changed and mentions several relevant features, including the car park, showers and toilets, lifeboat, beach, dock, fishing boats, and cafés or shops. However, it only minimally summarises the plans: it does not clearly describe the main changes in location or use, such as the marina and fishing boats switching areas, the castle becoming a hotel, or the southern beach becoming private. The overview that the harbour became “successful” and “more attractive” is an unsupported judgement rather than a summary of visible changes. Some details are also inaccurate or unclear, such as saying the present plan includes passenger facilities as a new feature. Focus on objective comparisons and report the most significant changes explicitly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to an overview, then to comments on 2000 and today, followed by a conclusion. This gives the reader some organisation. However, there is no clear progression through the map features, and the final conclusion largely repeats the claim that the harbour is more attractive. Connections between ideas are limited, while phrases such as “for example” introduce lists that are difficult to follow. The comparison between the two plans would be clearer if related changes were grouped together—for example, changes to the water areas, facilities, and beach—and linked with simple contrasts such as “whereas” and “by contrast.”

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small set of relevant map terms, including “harbour,” “car park,” “public beach,” “lifeboat,” and “dock,” so the topic is generally identifiable. However, vocabulary is basic and repetitive, and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “successful” and “fascinating” do not describe map changes precisely, while “passenger” is incomplete in place of “passenger ferries.” There are also spelling and word-form errors, including “enouhg” and “cafe.” Build a more precise range for describing locations and developments, such as “relocated,” “replaced by,” “added,” and “converted into.” Use the labels from the plans accurately rather than making subjective claims about attractiveness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a few longer sentence patterns, including “Overall…” and “Today… due to…,” but most sentences rely on simple structures, and errors frequently make the meaning unclear. Examples include “both 2000 and present,” “what it look,” and “the Porth Harbour more successful,” where articles, verb forms, and sentence structure are missing or incorrect. The sentence beginning “There were of places created…” is also difficult to interpret, and the list lacks clear grammatical links. Practise accurate basic clauses first, especially past and present forms, articles, and subject–verb agreement. For example, write “The harbour has changed considerably since 2000” and “The castle was replaced by a hotel.”

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