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 plans shows harbour in 2000 and how it looks today. there are several things which are not changed during both times like public beaches, car parks, showers and toilets. however, there are several things that are changed during the course of time. there were only one showers and toilets place in 2000 and today there are two showers and toilets places. There is Hotel today in place of Castle and there are more docks as comapred to 2000. there are several things that are same in both plans like passenger ferries, Road, Public beach, car parks, fishing boats and Marina , however the location of fishing boats and marina has been interchanged. There is Cafes and shops near the road on the south of the port harbour today which is not present in 2000. There is a private beach for the hotel today which used to be public beach in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important changes, including the hotel replacing the disused castle, the marina and fishing boats switching locations, and the addition of cafés and shops. However, the response does not give a clear overview of the harbour’s main transformation, and some details are inaccurate or unclear: the southern beach was public in 2000 and is private today, rather than simply “used to be public beach” without specifying its location. The claim that there are “more docks” is also imprecise; the northern dock gains an additional jetty and has two boats. You also say passenger ferries are unchanged, but their status or position is not clearly reported. The response is 144 words, six below the 150-word minimum; eight words copied from the prompt are excluded from the count. Develop the overview and report the key changes more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response groups several comparisons together and uses basic linking words such as “however” and “like,” so the reader can follow the general topic. However, it is presented as one continuous paragraph, with no clear separation between an overview and supporting details. The repeated “there are several things” and “like” constructions make the progression feel list-like, while the sequence moves from unchanged features to changes and back to unchanged features. Some references are also difficult to follow, particularly “There is a private beach for the hotel today which used to be public beach,” because the location and change could be stated more directly. Organise the response into a brief overview followed by grouped details, and use clearer links such as “By contrast” or “In the southern area.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “harbour,” “location,” “interchanged,” “private beach,” and “in place of,” which helps convey the main changes. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or repetitive. “More docks” does not accurately describe the additional jetty, and “things that are same” is too general for a formal map summary. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “comapred” and “Cafes,” and the repeated use of “things” weakens precision. Choose specific terms for features and changes—for example, describe facilities as “amenities” and say that the marina and fishing-boat areas “switched locations.” Check spelling and use more formal collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences, for example with “however” and “which,” but most sentence patterns are simple and several contain frequent errors. The opening has subject–verb disagreement in “the plans shows,” and “there were only one showers and toilets place” has problems with agreement, number, and article use. The phrase “there are several things that are same” also needs a grammatical form such as “that are the same.” Tense and sentence construction are not consistently controlled, as seen in “There is Hotel today in place of Castle.” These errors sometimes make the reader pause, although the intended comparisons are generally recoverable. Practise accurate plural forms, articles, and agreement, then vary sentence structures while keeping each comparison clear.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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