Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-28
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 given pictures illustrate a porth harbour in 2000 year and how its changes made in modern times.
Overall, we have two pictures of porth harbour comparison to each other, how it seems today and in past 2000 years. In the second picture, certain changes occur due to modern era and user-friendly.
In the past 2000 year, harbour porth are two boats for passengers to cross the river to arrived at castle which is no longer for used, and also we have private yachts sector.In the north east, they have public beach which is for local people to spend thier time and enjoy.Althouhg, we have car park and fishing boats in the south west side.
In today harbour porth, we have three passenger ferries besode the public beach
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0
The response identifies the two time periods and mentions some relevant features, including the public beach, marina, fishing boats and the former castle. However, it only partially reports the plans: the present-day description stops after stating that there are “three passenger ferries,” and this is inaccurate—the map shows passenger ferries but does not indicate three. Several key changes are omitted, such as the relocation of the marina and fishing boats, the hotel replacing the castle, and the south beach becoming private. The overview is vague and does not summarise the main transformation. The response is also 22 words below the required minimum. To improve, give a clear overview and compare the most important changes accurately, covering both maps.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
There is some basic organisation: the response begins with an introduction, gives a brief overall statement, and then separates past and present information into paragraphs. Time markers such as “In the past” and “In today harbour” help signal the comparison. However, progression is limited because the present-day paragraph ends abruptly, and the overview largely repeats that the pictures show the harbour at two times rather than guiding the reader through the main changes. Connections between details are also weak; for example, the castle, ferry area and beach are mentioned without a clear spatial or comparative sequence. Use a fuller paragraph for each period, or group features by area, and connect changes explicitly with phrases such as “whereas” and “in contrast.”
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The response uses a small range of task-related vocabulary, including “public beach,” “private yachts,” “car park” and “fishing boats,” so the reader can recognise some map features. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “how its changes made,” “user-friendly,” and “to arrived at castle.” Spelling errors including “thier” and “Althouhg” also reduce clarity. Some wording is imprecise: “three passenger ferries” is not supported by the map, and “cross the river” does not accurately describe the harbour plan. Build a bank of precise map-change language, such as “was relocated,” “was replaced by,” and “was converted into,” and check spelling and collocations before submitting.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response attempts a few longer structures, including “how it seems today and in past 2000 years” and “which is no longer for used,” but these are not controlled successfully. Errors occur in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction: “how its changes made” lacks a suitable verb structure, “harbour porth are two boats” has incorrect agreement and word order, and “to arrived” uses the wrong infinitive form. The final sentence is also incomplete, ending with “besode the public beach” without a complete comparison or further clause. Most sentences are simple or faulty attempts at complexity, which sometimes makes the intended meaning difficult to follow. Practise accurate past and present passive forms for map descriptions, and proofread each sentence for a complete subject–verb structure.
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