Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The two maps below show road access to a city hospital in 2007 and 2010.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons wherever relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The two maps illustrate the road changes that took place in a city hospital in 2007 and 2010.

Overall, the area underwent significant changes over the period, some new facilities had been added, and some facilities had been relocated. However, a few existing facilities retained their original position throughout the period.

In 2007, the city hospital had a combined parking area for public and staff members. There was also a ring road around the city hospital to provide access to citizens. There used to be six bus stops on hospital road, three on one and three on opposite sites.

By 2010, several new changes took place. The public car park had been shifted adjacent to the city hospital, meanwhile the staff car park remained in its original location. In addition, two new roundabouts had been constructed one in front of the city hospital, the other on the city road. The bus stop had been replaced by a bus station and linked to both roundabouts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the maps well, identifying the key changes such as the relocation of the car park, the addition of roundabouts, and the transition from bus stops to a bus station. The overview is clear and highlights the significant developments. However, the description of the 2007 map is slightly inaccurate; the prompt shows a 'hospital road' and a 'city road', but the student describes 'six bus stops on hospital road', which is a misinterpretation of the visual data provided. While the main trends are captured, more precise reporting of the spatial relationships would improve the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on the two time periods. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'meanwhile', and 'However' are used effectively to link ideas. Paragraphing is appropriate, and there is a clear progression of information. The transition between the description of 2007 and 2010 is smooth. The text is easy to follow, and the relationship between the different elements of the map is generally well-managed, though some minor improvements in referencing could make the flow even more natural.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'underwent significant changes', 'relocated', 'adjacent', and 'constructed'. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, which is generally successful. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'opposite sites' instead of 'opposite sides' and 'citizens' when referring to hospital access, which is slightly imprecise in this context. Overall, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly, but it lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as the comma splice in the second paragraph ('...significant changes over the period, some new facilities had been added...') and the run-on structure in the final paragraph ('...two new roundabouts had been constructed one in front of the city hospital, the other on the city road'). While these errors are present, they do not impede communication. The use of the past perfect tense is generally accurate, but the punctuation around clauses needs more attention to achieve a higher level of control.

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

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