Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-18

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 4.0)

The maps illustrate the changes occurred in porth harbour between year 2000 and the present day.

Overall, the harbour has been significantly modernized with new facilities for tourists over the time period. The most notable changes consist of construction a hotel over the castle, added a dock, showers and toilets and a cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the correct time period and give a relevant overall impression that the harbour was modernised for visitors. You also mention the hotel replacing the castle and the addition of facilities. However, the response is very brief and does not adequately summarise the plans: important changes such as the relocation of the marina and fishing boats, the new cafés and shops, and the hotel’s private beach are omitted. The claim that a dock was added is inaccurate; the dock existed in 2000, although it gained an additional jetty and a second berthed boat. The required minimum of 150 words is not met, leaving the main features largely undeveloped. Describe the key changes accurately and support the overview with specific comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic, understandable structure: an introductory sentence is followed by an overview beginning with “Overall.” This gives the reader a clear starting point, and the ideas remain relevant to the harbour plans. However, there is no detailed body paragraph, so the information is not developed or grouped into a clear sequence of changes. The overview also presents several additions in a compressed list rather than showing how the harbour changed between the two maps. To improve progression, use a separate paragraph for the main changes, grouping related features by location or function, and connect comparisons explicitly with phrases such as “whereas” and “by contrast.”

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a map, including “harbour,” “facilities,” “construction,” and “modernized,” and the general meaning is clear. However, the range is narrow because the response is so short, and some choices are imprecise or awkward: “added a dock” misrepresents a dock that was already present, while “a cafe” does not capture the new cafés and shops. “Changes occurred” is also an unnatural collocation in this context. Use precise map vocabulary such as “relocated,” “replaced,” “converted,” and “additional jetty,” and name the features as shown. More varied, accurate language would allow you to compare the two plans rather than relying on a short list of additions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response communicates its basic message through simple sentence forms, and the opening sentence uses a clear subject and verb. However, grammatical control is uneven. In “the changes occurred in porth harbour,” the verb form does not fit naturally after “changes”; a construction such as “changes that occurred” would be needed. The phrase “between year 2000 and the present day” is missing an article before “year,” and the overview’s list, “consist of construction a hotel … added a dock,” lacks parallel grammatical forms. The response also shows little variety in sentence structure. Practise accurate articles and verb forms, and build comparisons using complete clauses, for example, “The castle was replaced by a hotel, while the southern beach became private.”

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

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