Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-02

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)

In the given picture it shows the Porth Harbout map back in 2000 and the other picture shows how it looks today.

In 2000 The porth Harbour west side there were 1 shower and toilets place, car place also and marine(private yatchts). And in south it also have the car park and fishing boats area, and the Dock was in North beside public beach which was located in north east. And in south east there was a castle which was not in use. and there was also public beach in the south beside castle.

Now today there was major changes made by the faculty, there was another showers and toilet make with the second car parking. The road which reach castle which was now transformed into Hotel and also start Cades and shpops beside lifeboat, and now they made two docks for the boats. The private beach in the south east beside the hotel was now only used for hotel customers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important changes, including the hotel replacing the disused castle, the southern beach becoming private, and new cafés and shops near the lifeboat. However, the account only partly covers the maps and does not give a clear overview of the main pattern of change. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the dock is at the northern harbour entrance, not simply “beside” the north-eastern public beach, and the maps show an additional jetty with two boats, rather than “two docks.” The marina and fishing-boat areas also switch locations, a major change that is not reported. To develop the response, summarise the overall redevelopment first, then accurately compare the principal facilities and their locations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic chronological structure, moving from “In 2000” to “Now today,” and this helps the reader distinguish the two maps. Some information is grouped by location, such as the southern car park and fishing boats. However, the progression within each section is not consistently clear: several features are joined in long strings with “and,” while the second paragraph combines road changes, the hotel, shops, docks and beach without a clear sequence. The opening repeats the task rather than introducing a concise overview. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the two time periods, and organise each description by area or by major change. More precise linking and reference would make comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “west side,” “south east,” “car park,” “lifeboat” and “private beach,” so the reader can recognise many of the features being described. However, the range is limited and several word-choice or spelling errors make parts difficult to interpret, such as “marine(private yatchts),” “Cades and shpops” and “car place.” “Two docks” is also an imprecise label for the additional jetty shown. Aim to use the map’s exact labels and practise spelling them accurately. More precise verbs such as “relocated,” “replaced” and “converted” would help describe changes without relying repeatedly on “there was” or “made.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Most sentences use simple structures, and the reader can understand the broad time contrast. However, attempts to combine several ideas often produce faulty or incomplete sentences. For example, “In the given picture it shows” has an unnecessary subject construction, while “In 2000 The porth Harbour west side there were…” lacks a clear grammatical frame. There are also recurring problems with articles, agreement and tense, as in “it also have” and “there was another showers.” Capitalisation and sentence boundaries are inconsistent, particularly where a new sentence begins with “and.” Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use past tense for the 2000 map and present tense for today.

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