Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-20
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 maps illustrate the layout of a university's sports center now and how it will look after redevelopment.
Overall, it can be seen that in the future plan sports area is extendend by adding the outdoor courts that are nested to the boundries of sport center. Larger sports center offer more facilities than the previous one.
According to current sports center structure, in front of entrance an area is utilized for reception. 25m pool is situated almost in the center of play area and surrounded by different facilities such as west room is selected for changing, north of pool having gym while east side is offering seating. Two outdoor courts are nested to the west and east borders of sport center.
On the other hand, In the redevelopment plan sports center border included the outdoor courts and it will help to offer more to the students. Some previous location would remain same such as reception, 25m pool, changing room and seating while the area of gym is extended and connected with the corridoor in the east side which would by pass in front of two dance studio, one dance studio would develop in the north east conrner and one is beside it in the sounth side. South side of the map contained changing room on the both ends and cafe will situate beside the east changing room and after the entrance, sports shop can be found at the left. A large area is selected for the leisure pool in the north-south corner.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers the main features of the sports centre redevelopment well. You successfully identified key changes, such as the expansion of the gym, the addition of dance studios, and the inclusion of a leisure pool. However, the description of the layout is sometimes difficult to follow due to imprecise spatial references (e.g., 'nested to the boundries'). While you highlight the main differences, the comparison could be more analytical by grouping features more logically rather than listing them sequentially. The overview is present but could be more concise to better highlight the most significant transformations.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing the current and future states. However, the flow within paragraphs is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For instance, 'On the other hand' is used to introduce the redevelopment plan, which is not the most appropriate cohesive device for comparing two map layouts. Referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to track specific locations as they move from the current plan to the proposed one.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'redevelopment', 'facilities', and 'situated'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and minor spelling errors, such as 'extendend', 'corridoor', 'conrner', and 'sounth'. Some collocations are also unnatural, such as 'nested to the boundries' or 'by pass in front of'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise geographical and descriptive vocabulary and ensure accurate spelling of technical terms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the' is often missing) and verb tenses (e.g., 'sports center border included' instead of 'will include'). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'in the north-south corner'. While these errors do not prevent communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would significantly improve your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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