Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-15

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 plans indicate site of a harbour in 2000, and today.

Overall, Harbour has undergone some alterations, with the addition of an area for the showers and toilet, a hotel and an area for a dock.

Harbour in 2000, had a castle (disused) on the south side of site, with a public beach at the adjacent side. It had a road, with a car park at the north side. It had a main road on west side, with a path for a car park, showers and toilets to the north of the car park. Harbour had Marina (Private yachts) on the eastern side of the showers and toilets and the car park. A dock was located at the north side, located at centre. Harbour had a public beach on far side of the dock.

Today's site of the harbour indicates various modifications. It has a new shower and toilets area, to north of the car park. Marina (private yachts) area has been used for fishing boats, which used to be an area for the fishing boats and vice versa. Cafes and shops has been added to the north of existing road. An area near the private beach, which used to be public beach has been reserved for a hotel. Castle (disused) has been converted into a hotel.

Overall, areas such as car park, passenger ferries, main road and road locations has remained unchanged. While there is an addition of showers and toilets area, a dock and some modifications to existing areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant changes, including the relocation of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafés and shops, and the replacement of the disused castle by a hotel. However, the response only partially covers the plans, and some key details are inaccurate or unclear. For example, the overview says a dock was added, although the dock existed in 2000 and was modified with an additional jetty. The description also misstates the beach change: the southern beach became private for the hotel, while the north-eastern public beach remained. The overview is not sufficiently clear about the main pattern of change. To strengthen the report, give an accurate overview and compare the harbour’s major changes systematically.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has paragraph breaks and a broadly recognisable sequence: an overview, a description of the earlier plan, and changes in the present-day plan. This gives the reader some organisation. However, progression is not consistently clear, and the final paragraph repeats overview information rather than developing a distinct comparison. Several sentences list features without showing how they relate spatially, while repeated openings such as “Harbour had” and “It had” make the account feel repetitive. Linking expressions such as “while” are used, but the contrast they introduce is not always clear. Grouping the changes by location or by type, and using clearer references such as “the southern beach” and “the northern basin,” would make the relationships easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “main road,” “car park,” “Marina (private yachts),” “converted,” and “modifications,” so the reader can identify many of the features being described. The range is nevertheless limited and some choices are imprecise or repetitive. For instance, “an area for a dock” does not accurately describe the dock’s change, and “path for a car park” is unclear. Repeated use of “area” and “side” also reduces precision. There are noticeable word-form and collocation problems, such as “site of a harbour” and “an area for the showers and toilet.” Aim to use more exact location and change vocabulary, such as “adjacent to,” “relocated,” and “expanded,” while checking singular and plural forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer structures, including “Marina (private yachts) area has been used for fishing boats, which used to be an area for the fishing boats and vice versa,” but this sentence is difficult to follow and its clause structure is faulty. Errors occur frequently in articles, agreement, and sentence construction: “Overall, Harbour has undergone” needs an article, “Cafes and shops has been added” has subject–verb disagreement, and “locations has remained unchanged” also has disagreement. Several sentences begin with incomplete or awkwardly formed phrases, such as “Harbour in 2000, had…” The meaning is often recoverable, but these recurring errors limit clarity. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with controlled relative clauses and comparisons.

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