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)

this map shows a porth harbour in 2000 in comparison of how it looks today. in the moment, the enterence of the two car parks is from the main road. however, in 2000 there is only one car park from the main road and another from the road that leads to lifeboat. next to the lifeboat they built cafes and shops in the past couple years. also replaced the castle with a hotel next to the private beach. in the 2000, there is only one showers and toilets and behind them there is a marina for private yachts. comparing with today, they added another shower next to second carc park and switched the places of marina and fishing boats. also, the second map shows that next to the fishing boats, there is 2 docks beside every one a boat but in the 2000 it was only one dock next to the marina. the only thing that stayed the same over the years is the public beach.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important 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 response only partially summarises the plans: it lacks a clear overview of the harbour’s overall redevelopment and omits notable features such as the hotel’s private beach replacing the southern public beach and the additional jetty at the northern dock. Some details are inaccurate or unclear. For example, the public beach is not the only feature that stayed the same; the main road also remains, and the north-eastern public beach is retained. The comparison of the docks and boats is also confused. Select the main changes more carefully and state them accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response includes a sequence of comparisons, using connectors such as “however,” “also,” and “comparing with today,” so the reader can follow some of the changes. However, the ideas are presented as one continuous paragraph without a clear overview or grouping by area or type of change. Several links are difficult to follow: “in the moment” and “in the past couple years” do not clearly establish the time comparison, while “next to the fishing boats” introduces the dock detail in a confusing way. The final claim that only the public beach stayed the same also disrupts the progression because it is inaccurate. Organise the response into an overview and focused detail paragraphs, and use clearer references to locations and time periods.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant map vocabulary such as “car parks,” “lifeboat,” “marina,” “fishing boats,” and “private beach,” which allows you to identify several features. However, the range is limited, and some word choices or collocations make the description unclear, including “the enterence of the two car parks,” “in the moment,” and “switched the places.” Spelling errors such as “enterence” and “carc park” are noticeable, and “dock” is used imprecisely when describing the boats and jetties. Aim for more precise language for changes and locations, such as “was relocated,” “was converted into,” and “at the harbour entrance.” Check spelling and use map labels consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences, for example with “however” and “comparing with today,” but the range of sentence structures is limited and errors occur frequently. Problems with articles, agreement, and sentence construction appear in “a porth harbour,” “there is only one showers and toilets,” and “there is 2 docks beside every one a boat.” Tense and time phrasing are also inconsistent: “they built” and “in the past couple years” do not fit smoothly with the comparison between 2000 and today. Capitalisation and punctuation are weak, including the lowercase opening and place name. Practise accurate simple past and present forms, plural agreement, and complete sentences before adding more complex comparisons.

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.