Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The plans below show the layout of a university’s sports centre now, and how it will look after redevelopment.

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The pictures illustrate the layout of the sports center of the university before and after the reconstruction.

The main features of the university sports center included a main building in the center and outdoor courts on the east and west. Furthermore, there is a gym, changing room, seating, sports hall, Dance studio, cafe and sports shop.

On the one hand currently university sports center have two outdoor courts on east and west side and in the middle area after passing through the entrance there is a reception right in front and at the back of reception there is a pool on the west of the pool there is changing room and on the east there is seating area on the north there is a gym this is quite same in future plans just gym is extended towards east in redevelopment.

In new map west outdoor court is converted to the Leisure pool with a changing room and sports shop and on the east there is a sports hall and two dance studio with changing room and cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the sports centre layout, including the current state and the proposed redevelopment. You successfully identified the key changes, such as the conversion of the outdoor courts and the expansion of the gym. However, the report lacks a clear overview or summary paragraph, which is essential for Task 1. The description of the current layout is slightly cluttered, making it difficult to follow the spatial relationships. To improve, ensure you group information logically—perhaps by area or by comparing the 'before' and 'after' states more distinctly—and provide a clear introductory summary of the most significant changes.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, but the internal structure of the paragraphs is weak. The third paragraph is a long, run-on sentence that lacks appropriate punctuation and cohesive devices, making it difficult to track the spatial progression. While you use some linking words like 'furthermore' and 'on the one hand', the flow is often mechanical. To reach a higher band, use a wider variety of cohesive devices to connect your ideas and ensure that each sentence is clearly punctuated to help the reader navigate the description of the layout.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to describe the facilities (e.g., 'reception', 'dance studio', 'leisure pool'). However, there is a lack of variety and precision. You rely on basic verbs like 'is' and 'are' throughout the text. To improve, incorporate more descriptive verbs and nouns related to spatial changes, such as 'transformed', 'relocated', 'extended', or 'replaced'. Additionally, there are minor errors in word choice and pluralisation, such as 'two dance studio' instead of 'two dance studios'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'university sports center have') and missing articles (e.g., 'on east and west side'). Punctuation is a significant issue; the third paragraph is essentially one long, unpunctuated block, which hinders readability. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring that subjects and verbs agree, and use full stops to separate distinct ideas rather than relying on long, comma-spliced sentences.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.