Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-22

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 plan illustrates two harbour one was in 2000 with limited facilities and after developing and amending represents another harbour nowadays.

Overall new facilities are developed on every side in harbour nowadays than harbour in 2000.First of all another boat is installed between two empty spaces straight to passenger ferries on the north side.A significant changes occur at the bottom of south side.A square type big hotel is build by replacing castle disused and a new road is cut from life boat road which is connected to hotel.Moreover cafes and shops are construct on upeer side of road along witj lifeboat.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify that the harbour has changed and mention several genuine developments, including the hotel replacing the disused castle and cafés and shops being added near the lifeboat station. However, the response covers the plans only partially: it does not describe the relocation of the marina and fishing boats, the changed beach status, or the added facilities and car parks. The overview that “new facilities are developed on every side” is too general to convey the main changes, and the claim that a new road is cut to the hotel is not supported by the plans. The response is also 49 words below the required minimum, leaving too little space to select and report the key features. Include a clear overview and compare the main changes systematically.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: it introduces the two plans, gives a general statement, and then mentions changes at the north and south. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “First of all,” and “Moreover” help signal this order. However, the ideas are compressed into one paragraph, and the progression is difficult to follow because several changes are combined without clear relationships. For example, “another boat is installed between two empty spaces straight to passenger ferries” is hard to interpret, while “A significant changes occur at the bottom of south side” does not clearly introduce the details that follow. Use separate overview and detail paragraphs, and group changes by location or by what was replaced, added, or relocated.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt some task-relevant vocabulary, including “facilities,” “replacing,” “lifeboat,” and “cafes and shops,” so the reader can recognise several intended changes. However, the range is limited, and inaccurate or unnatural word choices sometimes obscure meaning. “Another boat is installed” is not a natural way to describe a boat being added or berthed, and “two empty spaces” does not identify the dock or jetties clearly. There are also spelling errors such as “upeer” and “witj,” alongside imprecise phrases such as “square type big hotel.” Build a more precise map vocabulary—such as “relocated,” “converted into,” “adjacent to,” and “harbour entrance”—and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You make some attempts to connect ideas in longer sentences, for example with “after” and “which,” but the range of sentence structures is limited and errors are frequent enough to make parts difficult to understand. The opening, “The plan illustrates two harbour one was in 2000,” lacks a clear grammatical structure, and “A significant changes occur” has a subject–verb and number mismatch. Tense and passive forms are also unreliable in “hotel is build” and “cafes and shops are construct.” Use the past tense for the 2000 plan and the present tense for today, and practise accurate passive forms such as “was replaced by” and “have been added.” Break complex ideas into shorter, complete sentences.

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