Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-21
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 4.5)
This plans is about harbour in 2000 and today.In 2000 harbour start with Marine (private yachts) and after it passenger ferries occur and these things are near beach under water.While today first come fishing boat and then then passenger ferries come below Dock and these are near beach under water.In 2000 there is two misseils but today three missiles exist.
In 2000 there is no missile in dock but today it exist in dock.In 2000 there is one showers and toilets but today two shawers exist near car park.In 2000 there is no cafes and shopes present nerar road but today it exist near road.In 2000 a castle disused but today it convert nto hotel and also a road lead there.In 2000 there is no place for hotel near lower public beach but today they specify place for hotel near public beach.The Marine and fishing boats place is exchange in 2000 and today.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
You identify several genuine changes, including the exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas, the addition of cafés and shops, and the replacement of the disused castle with a hotel. However, the response reports these details inaccurately or unclearly: “two missiles” and “three missiles” do not correspond to any map feature, and the dock change concerns an additional jetty and two berthed boats, not a “missile.” The overview is also missing, so the reader is not given a clear summary of the harbour’s main transformation. To strengthen the report, select the major changes accurately and compare the two plans—for example, the relocated marina and fishing boats, new facilities, and the conversion of the southern public beach to a private hotel beach.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
The response follows a basic time-based order, moving from features in 2000 to changes today, and uses “In 2000” and “today” to signal comparison. However, the information is presented as one continuous block, without a clear overview or paragraphing to separate the main changes. Several links are difficult to follow, such as “after it passenger ferries occur” and “these things are near beach under water,” so the reader cannot reliably understand the locations or relationships. Repeated sentence openings also make the progression mechanical. Organise the report into a brief overview followed by grouped comparisons, and use clear location references such as “in the northern basin” or “south of the road” to connect details.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
You attempt relevant map vocabulary, including “harbour,” “car park,” “castle,” “hotel,” and “public beach,” and use terms such as “exchange” to describe a change in location. However, the range is basic and several word choices or spellings make the meaning difficult to recover. “Missiles” appears to be an inaccurate label for the boats or jetties, while “Marine” is used where “marina” is needed. Forms such as “shawers,” “shopes,” and “nerar” also reduce clarity. Build a reliable set of map-description terms and check spelling and collocation; for example, say that facilities were “added,” a site was “replaced by” a hotel, or two areas “swapped locations.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
Most sentences use simple present-tense patterns, but frequent problems with sentence formation, articles, agreement, and tense make the report hard to read. For example, “This plans is about harbour” has errors in both the demonstrative and verb agreement, and “In 2000 there is two” does not match the past-time reference or plural subject. The sentence “The Marine and fishing boats place is exchange” also lacks a clear grammatical structure. There is little variety in sentence forms, and punctuation is inconsistent, including missing spaces after full stops. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions for 2000 and present-tense descriptions for today, then combine related comparisons using controlled clauses such as “whereas” or “while.”
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