Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-17
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 maps display the Porth Harbour in 2000 and how it seems now.
Overall, there is not much change in todays structure. The car park and toilets extended eastwards; whereas, the roads and Marine private yachts remained unchanged. The public beach turned into the private beach.
In 2000, there was only one dock and the fishing boat covered the smal area. the road extended from the main road ends at the life boat area, while the castle beside the road was disused.
In current development, the main road have three paths, the second car park now attached with the main road. there is a hotel beside road and the public beach turned into the private beach. the cafe and shops has been open at the north west crner beside the lifeboat area. The public beach located at the north east of the dock. the docks has been doubled.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
You identify the two time periods and mention several relevant changes, including the hotel replacing the castle, the southern beach becoming private, and the addition of cafés and shops. However, the overview is inaccurate: “there is not much change” overlooks major alterations, especially the exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas and the new hotel facilities. Some details are also misreported: the marina did not remain unchanged, and the car parks and toilets did not simply extend eastwards. The description of the dock is vague, and the relocation of the boats is not explained. The response is also two words below the required minimum. A more accurate overview and clearer coverage of the main changes are needed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has a basic structure, with an opening, an overview, and separate paragraphs for 2000 and today. This gives the reader some sense of time order, and words such as “Overall” and “In 2000” help signal sections. However, progression within the paragraphs is uneven: the final paragraph moves between roads, the hotel, the beach, cafés, and the dock without a clear spatial or thematic sequence. Linking is limited, and the semicolon in “eastwards; whereas” does not connect the ideas effectively. Some references, such as “the life boat area” and “the docks,” are not precise. Group changes by location or feature and use clearer transitions to make the account easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “main road,” “dock,” “car park,” “private beach,” and “north east,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward, which reduces precision: “the fishing boat covered the smal area” does not clearly describe the area, while “the docks has been doubled” is an imprecise way to report the added jetty and second berthed boat. There are also spelling errors such as “smal” and “crner,” and inconsistent forms such as “Marine private yachts.” Use standard map terms and precise verbs such as “relocated,” “replaced,” and “added” to describe changes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response uses mostly simple sentence patterns, with a few attempts to combine ideas, such as “The car park and toilets extended eastwards; whereas…” These attempts are not always controlled, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to read. Examples include “the main road have three paths” (subject–verb agreement), “the cafe and shops has been open” (agreement and verb form), and “the docks has been doubled.” Articles and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent, as in “the castle beside the road was disused” and the lower-case sentence beginning “the road.” Practise accurate past and present descriptions, agreement, and complete sentence punctuation before adding more complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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