Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-23

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)

The two diagrams illustrate the map of the Porth Harbour back in 2000 and its modern version today. There are many major changes occured. Like, in the south Castle (disused) converted into Hotel.

Overall, The new layout has experienced noticable changed. From north side to south side Marine(private yachts) and Fishing boats have replace their areas. Castle(disused) has completely vanished and his place was taken by Hotel in the north.

Discussing the details of Porth Harbour in the north there is addition of

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the two maps and mention some relevant changes, including the marina and fishing boats exchanging areas and the disused castle being replaced by a hotel. However, the response addresses the task only minimally: it stops before describing most of the harbour, and the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate. The hotel is on the south-eastern headland, not in the north, and the southern beach becomes private rather than disappearing. Important changes such as the added cafés and shops, extra facilities, and altered dock are omitted. The response also contains only 83 words, below the required 150, so there is not enough detail to summarise the main features. Develop a complete overview and report the key changes accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview and then a move towards details: “Discussing the details…” This gives the reader a simple sense of intended structure. However, the final sentence is unfinished, so the progression breaks off before any detailed account is provided. The overview also repeats the idea of change without clearly grouping or comparing the main developments. Linking expressions such as “Overall” and “From north side to south side” are present, but the latter does not clearly explain the locations. Use complete paragraphs and organise the report into an overview followed by clear north-side and south-side comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “harbour,” “marina,” “Fishing boats,” “Castle (disused),” and “Hotel,” which allows the reader to recognise the subject and several map features. There is also an attempt to describe change with “converted into” and “replace their areas.” However, the range is limited, and several word choices or forms are inaccurate or awkward, such as “modern version,” “noticable changed,” and “his place was taken.” These errors make parts of the description less clear and natural. Build a broader set of precise verbs for map changes, such as “relocated,” “replaced,” “added,” and “remained,” and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response includes some simple sentence forms and an attempt at a more complex construction, as in “From north side to south side Marine(private yachts) and Fishing boats have replace their areas.” Meaning is sometimes recoverable, but grammatical control is inconsistent. Errors include “changes occured,” “have replace,” and the incomplete final sentence, “there is addition of,” which leaves the clause unfinished. Articles and punctuation are also unreliable, for example in “in the south Castle (disused) converted into Hotel” and the capitalisation after “Overall,”. Most sentences are short or structurally incomplete, so the range is limited. Practise complete past-tense sentences and use clear subject–verb structures when describing what changed between the maps.

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