Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-16

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 2 maps allowed us to see the paths used to access the City Hospital during 2 different time periods – 2007 & 2010.

During 2007, there was a direct road that connected the Hospital Road to the City Road.

City Hospital being at the centre most location was surrounded by Ring Road

Towards the immediate right-hand side Hospital Road, lied the car parking.There was a common car parking area which was accessed by both the staff and public.

During 2010, the roads had become a bit more complicated. There were 2 roundabouts introduced, each connecting them from City Road to City Hospital.

Both roundabout roads were connected to a bus station which lies in the north-west direction from the City Road roundabout.

Public car parking area was relocated to the immediate right-hand side of the City Hospital.

Staff parking area remained the at the same old place.

This was done to avoid overcrowding.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the two maps comparing road access to the City Hospital in 2007 and 2010. The student successfully identifies key changes, such as the introduction of roundabouts, a bus station, and the relocation of the public car park. However, some details are slightly inaccurate according to the visual data, such as stating that the bus station lies in the north-west direction from the City Road roundabout, and introducing personal commentary ('This was done to avoid overcrowding') which is not present in the maps. Furthermore, the overview lacks a clear summary statement at the beginning. Nevertheless, all main parts of the task are addressed, earning a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement and attempts to organise information chronologically by contrasting 2007 and 2010. However, the paragraphing is fragmented, with many very short, single-sentence paragraphs that disrupt the logical flow and progression. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of cohesive ties between sentences makes the progression feel somewhat disjointed. Overall, the structural choices limit the response to a Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with appropriate spatial and descriptive terms such as 'surrounded', 'relocated', and 'roundabouts'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but word choices are occasionally imprecise or unnatural, such as 'centre most location' instead of 'central location' and 'lied the car parking' instead of 'lay the car park'. Spelling and word-choice errors do not impede communication, but they reflect a limited and sometimes awkward lexical range, placing this at a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'During 2007, there was a direct road that connected...' and 'Both roundabout roads were connected to a bus station...'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including 'The 2 maps allowed us to see' (inappropriate tense for map tasks, which should use present simple), 'Staff parking area remained the at the same old place', and incorrect prepositions. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.0, fitting comfortably at Band 5.5.

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

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