Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-03

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 given plan shows the changes in a porth harbour in 2000 and after redevelopment.

In general, it can be clearly seen that marina private yachts and fishing boarts exchanged their places. Showers and toilets; cafes and shops were added.

Looking at the bar graph in more detail, in 2000, there were car parkings near the main road and showers and toilets on the northern side. Marina private yachts was beside the car parking and fishing boarts was near the other car parking. There was a castle on the southern side and two public beaches one on the northren side and other near the castle. There was a lifeboat on the road and passengers ferries in the harbour.

What is more, castel has been replaced by hotel and showers and toilets have veen added.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main exchange of the marina and fishing-boat areas and mention the hotel replacing the castle, so the response includes some relevant comparisons. However, the overview is brief and does not summarise the broader redevelopment, while several details are inaccurate or unclear: the beaches are not both near the castle, and the lifeboat is on a pier beside the harbour rather than “on the road.” The account also focuses mainly on 2000 and gives little information about today, such as the added cafés and shops, the extra showers and toilets, or the changes to the dock. The response is 134 words, below the required 150, which limits the detail provided. Develop a fuller overview and compare the two plans systematically.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to details, and phrases such as “In general” and “Looking at … in more detail” help signal these stages. However, the progression is uneven: most of the detail describes the 2000 plan, followed by only a short and repetitive statement about the present-day changes. The final paragraph repeats the hotel and facilities information rather than extending the comparison. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “and” to join several features in one sentence. Organise the body around clear comparisons—for example, changes to water areas, facilities and the southern shore—and use references such as “whereas” or “by contrast” to make relationships clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “redevelopment,” “northern side,” “replaced” and “exchanged their places,” which helps convey the general subject. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling or word-choice errors reduce precision: “boarts,” “northren,” “castel” and “veen” are misspelled, while “bar graph” is inappropriate for a plan. Phrases such as “car parkings” and “Marina private yachts” are also not natural or precise descriptions. Use the labels from the map accurately, such as “car parks,” “the marina for private yachts” and “fishing boats,” and vary verbs for change, for example “relocated” or “converted.” Careful proofreading would make the information easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You produce several understandable simple sentences, including “There was a castle on the southern side,” and attempt a more complex overview with “In general, it can be clearly seen that…”. However, the range is limited, and errors in agreement, articles and sentence construction occur often enough to make some descriptions awkward. For example, “Marina private yachts was” needs a plural or a singular noun phrase with an appropriate verb, and “fishing boarts was” has the same agreement problem. The opening phrase “a porth harbour” also needs more accurate article and capitalisation choices. Practise building comparisons with controlled clauses, such as “The marina was moved to the southern basin, while fishing boats took its former place,” and check subject–verb agreement in each sentence.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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