Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-16
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 below show a Harbour in 2000 and how it looks today.
Overall, the Porth Harbour (in 2000) and today's Porth Harbour has changed now. Many of the things changed like castle, dock and many were replaced with new things.
The old Porth Harbour (in 2000) is replaced with many new Ideas, the old Marina (private yachts) area is replaced with fishing boats and fishing boat area is replaced with marina ( private yacht) area. Two docks installed in the today's Porth Harbour, the old castle is replaced with the hotel.
Cafes & Shops are constructed in the today's Porth Harbour, they are located beside the life boat. The new showers and toilets constructed, they are located near the marina (private yachts) area beside the car park.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You identify several genuine changes, including the relocation of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafés and shops, and the replacement of the castle with a hotel. However, the overview is vague (“Many of the things changed”) and the report covers only a small selection of the main features. The dock description is also inaccurate: the plan shows an additional jetty and two boats berthed, rather than “Two docks.” You omit other useful comparisons, such as the south beach becoming private and the public beach remaining in the north-east. The response contains 115 words, below the 150-word minimum; 13 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop a clearer overview and report more key changes accurately.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has a basic sequence: an opening, a general statement, and then details about the harbour’s changes. This gives the reader some organisation, and the final sentences group the new facilities together. However, progression is limited because several changes are listed without a clear organising principle, and the overview repeats the idea that things have changed rather than summarising the main pattern. Linking is also weak: “The old Porth Harbour … is replaced” does not clearly connect to the specific changes that follow, while “they” in the final sentence has an unclear reference. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the main comparisons, and connect features by location or by what changed and what remained.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use relevant map vocabulary, including “Marina,” “fishing boats,” “car park,” and “Cafes & Shops,” so the reader can identify several facilities. However, the range is limited and some choices are imprecise or repetitive. “New Ideas” is not suitable for describing physical developments, and “Two docks installed” mislabels the added jetty and boats. Capitalisation and spelling are inconsistent, as in “Harbour,” “Cafes,” and “life boat.” Aim for precise terms such as “facility,” “relocated,” “additional jetty,” and “lifeboat station.” More varied language for describing location and change would help you report the map more clearly and avoid repeating “replaced” and “new.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, for example, “Cafes & Shops are constructed …, they are located beside the life boat.” However, the longer structures are often faulty, and errors in tense, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries are frequent. “The Porth Harbour … and today’s Porth Harbour has changed” has a plural subject with a singular verb and an awkward tense; “Two docks installed” is missing an auxiliary; and the comma between two independent clauses in the cafés sentence creates a run-on. The phrase “the old Marina … area is replaced” also uses an unsuitable tense for describing a completed change. Practise accurate past-to-present comparisons and use full clauses with clear punctuation.
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