Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)

The map plan shows the 2000 and how it looks today.

Overall,the port harbour became far more developed,with a public beach, cafes,shops and other several facillities added.

In 2000,the west side showers,toilets and car parkings near to the main road. by today one more car parking is added showers and toilets also near the road. On the right side marina [parivate yachts] and upper side fishinh board. In 2000 marina parivate yachts on the upper side with fishing boards were down. In the middle north the public beach and dock and passengers ferries are at today public beach at the same point. On the south road near the life boat and the right side at the corner of the castle [disused] is attached to the public beach.Today the cafe were add and shops attached the the life boat and right side new hot

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.0
Coherence and Cohesion4.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall4.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the broad change that the harbour has become more developed, and mention several relevant features, including the added cafés and shops and the replacement of the castle by a hotel. However, the account is incomplete and some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate. For example, the southern beach is described as public, whereas it becomes a private hotel beach; the north-eastern public beach is not clearly distinguished from the harbour entrance. The relocation of the marina and fishing boats is also difficult to follow. The response ends mid-sentence, leaving the hotel change unfinished, and it does not meet the required 150 words. To improve, give a clear overview and report the main changes accurately, especially the exchanged water uses, new facilities, and change in beach status.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response by referring first to 2000 and then to today, and the opening overview gives the reader a general direction. However, the information is not arranged into clear, complete stages, and several sentences combine locations and changes without showing how they relate. For instance, “On the right side marina … and upper side fishinh board” is hard to interpret, while “In the middle north” does not clearly identify which features are being compared. Linking words such as “by today” and “In 2000” are used, but the progression remains difficult to follow. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the main changes, and group details by location or by what changed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “main road,” “public beach,” “dock,” “marina,” and “castle,” so the reader can recognise the general subject. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make details difficult to understand: “facillities,” “parivate,” “fishinh board,” and “car parkings.” Some expressions are also imprecise, such as “attached to” for a feature located beside another and “other several facilities.” Aim for accurate, standard labels and more precise verbs for map changes, such as “relocated,” “replaced,” and “added.” Check spellings against the map and use “car park” rather than forming an incorrect plural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts both simple statements and comparisons, but sentence structures are often incomplete or difficult to interpret. For example, “In 2000, the west side showers, toilets and car parkings near to the main road” has no clear main verb, and “by today one more car parking is added” uses an unsuitable tense and construction. Articles and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent, as in “the 2000” and the run-on sequence beginning “Today the cafe were add.” The final sentence is unfinished, which further obscures the meaning. Practise complete subject–verb sentences and use the past simple for the earlier map and present simple or present perfect for current changes, for example, “The castle has been replaced by a hotel.”

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