Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-25

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 below plan shows the differnce between harbour look in 2000 and how it looks today

In 2000 the shower toilets ans car parking was on the west side there was also a area for the marine private yachts and fishing boats on the north side od harbour there was a public beach and the dick area was also there to park passenger ferries on the south side there was another car parking was situated alongside the road was going fishing boat area was also on south side of harbour The public beach was also their in 2000 At the very end they made a castle

In today lot of things ate changed at harbour they built a lot of new things on the harbour They added another shower toilets and car parking on west side of harbour

they exchanged the area between private yachets and fishing boats cafe shops arecalso added they chahed public beach to private beach castle is demolished and made hotel there

In conclusion we can say that harbour is changed as compare to 2000

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several major changes, including the relocation of the marina and fishing boats, the addition of cafés and shops, and the replacement of the castle with a hotel. However, the account only partially covers the plans: the overview is vague (“harbour is changed”), and some locations are misreported or unclear. For example, the marina and fishing boats are described as being on the “north side” in 2000, although the fishing boats were in the southern basin; the second car park was beside the harbour road, not simply alongside it. You also omit notable changes to the dock and the hotel beach. To improve, give a clear overview of the main transformations, then accurately compare the key locations in both plans.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic chronological structure: one paragraph describes 2000, another describes today, followed by a conclusion. This gives the reader some sense of the comparison. However, the first paragraph is a long run-on sequence of features, with few clear links between them, and the repeated use of “there was” makes the progression difficult to follow. The conclusion repeats the general idea that the harbour changed rather than summarising the main changes. Organise the details into shorter, clearly focused sentences and use linking expressions to show contrasts, such as “whereas” or “by contrast.” Group related changes—for example, water-use changes and new facilities—so the comparison develops more logically.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “harbour,” “public beach,” “private yachts,” “car parking,” and “hotel,” so the reader can recognise the subject. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make parts difficult to understand, such as “dick area,” “yachets,” and “ate changed.” Some phrases are also imprecise: “exchanged the area between” does not clearly explain that the marina and fishing boats switched locations, while “made a hotel” is less natural than “built a hotel.” Aim for accurate map vocabulary and check spelling carefully. More precise verbs such as “relocated,” “replaced,” and “added” would help you describe the changes clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Most of the response relies on simple sentence patterns, and several ideas are joined into long sentences without effective punctuation. For instance, “In 2000 the shower toilets ans car parking was on the west side there was also…” contains multiple clauses that need to be separated or connected more clearly. There are frequent problems with articles, agreement, and tense, as in “the shower toilets … was” and “they built a lot of new things.” The opening phrase “The below plan shows” also has an awkward structure. These errors sometimes make relationships between features unclear. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and subject–verb agreement, and use full stops to control sentence length. Then add a few well-formed comparison clauses, such as “while the marina moved south, fishing boats occupied its former basin.”

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