Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-30
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 showcasing the information about access to a city hospital by road in 2007 and 2010. It is clear and coherent representation.
Overall, the layout of roads showed a consideration changes to meet the demand of fast modern times. However, various facilities are added and upgraded.
To commence with, the layout of road infrastructure in 2007. Simply, the City Road from East to west is connected with Hospital road from south and north along the right side of road there is a free space for car park to facilitate staff as well as public. Moreover, the road cover the hospital in a rectangular shape. Additionally, on the top right side map there is a Bus Stop stand.
Getting into further details, The public car park is shifted to Right side of map just connected to Ring road. Whereas, Two ring roads are added on the End of Hospital road which further connected to Bus station on left side with two path ways. Interestingly Bus stand facility is removed and a round about is constructed on the south corner of the map facily to staff car park.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the maps, such as the changes to car parks and the addition of roundabouts and ring roads. However, the description is somewhat fragmented and lacks a clear, analytical overview. While the prompt asks for a summary, the response relies heavily on listing features rather than making meaningful comparisons between the two years. Some details, such as the 'rectangular shape' of the road, are not clearly explained, and the spatial descriptions (e.g., 'right side of map') are imprecise. To improve, focus on grouping information logically and highlighting the most significant changes, such as the shift in traffic flow and the expansion of infrastructure.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between sentences is often mechanical and sometimes confusing. Phrases like 'To commence with' and 'Getting into further details' are used, but the internal logic within paragraphs is weak. For instance, the transition between describing the 2007 layout and the 2010 changes is abrupt. Additionally, the use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally inaccurate, such as the misuse of 'facily' and the awkward phrasing in the introduction. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would significantly enhance the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choice and non-standard phrasing, such as 'showcasing the information', 'consideration changes', and 'facily to staff car park'. The student relies on basic descriptive terms and struggles with accurate collocations related to map descriptions. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more precise vocabulary related to urban planning and spatial relationships, such as 'intersecting', 'relocated', 'constructed', or 'peripheral'. Spelling and word-form errors, such as 'facily' instead of 'facilitating', also detract from the overall quality.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but grammatical control is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in sentence construction, such as the opening sentence which lacks a main verb ('The given maps showcasing...'). Other issues include missing articles ('on south corner'), incorrect preposition usage, and subject-verb agreement errors. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence structure—ensuring every sentence has a clear subject and a finite verb—would be a beneficial first step toward improvement.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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