Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-21

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 given maps demonstrates driveway access to a civil hospital in 2007 and 2010.

Overall, it can be seen that bus station has added in the second map which is the most significant change.

Turning to the details, In 2007 there was a bus stop along with the hospital road whereas, after three years they have added the bus station in the map and connected it with city hospital and hospital road. Furthermore, Public car park has been shifted upward at the right side of city hospital while in 2010 the staff car park has been shifted just near the right side of hospital. There are not so much changes between these two maps only they have shifted single road into a roundabout. Lastly, if we look at the first map all the roads are straight but in the second map they have been converted into circular roads.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the maps, such as the addition of the bus station and the changes to the road layout. However, the description of the car parks is inaccurate and confusing; the student mentions the public car park shifting 'upward' and the staff car park shifting 'near the right side', which does not clearly reflect the visual information provided. Furthermore, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which limits the depth of the analysis. To improve, ensure all spatial descriptions are precise and meet the length requirement to allow for a more comprehensive overview of the changes.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into an introduction and a body paragraph. While there is a basic attempt at logical progression, the transition between ideas is sometimes mechanical. For example, the use of 'Turning to the details' is a standard cohesive device, but the internal flow within the paragraph is disjointed. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when describing the movement of the car parks. Paragraphing is insufficient; the response would benefit from separating the description of the road changes from the building/facility changes to improve readability and logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. Phrases like 'not so much changes' and 'shifted single road' are simplistic and slightly unnatural. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'driveway access' instead of 'road access' and 'added in the second map' instead of 'introduced'. The range of vocabulary is limited, relying on basic descriptors. To achieve a higher score, use more precise terminology related to map descriptions, such as 'constructed', 'relocated', 'converted', or 'replaced'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity, such as 'The given maps demonstrates' (subject-verb agreement) and 'bus station has added' (passive voice error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the placement of commas and capitalization after periods. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice for describing changes would be highly beneficial.

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

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