Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-04
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 map illustrate how the layout of the university sports centre now and how it will be after redevelopment in future. Overall, the sports centre will undergo significant changes with some additional facilities be introduced, removed, replaced and some were unchanged.
Looking first at the western and centre side of the sports centre, reception changing room and poll will be remained unchanged while, outdoor courts will be demolished and the new leisure poll will be built with an extra 2 changing room will be added. In addition, a new sports shop and cafe will be developed either side of the entrance.
Turning to the eastern side, gym will be extended and outdoor courts will be replaced with sports hall and two dance studio will be introduced.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. While you have identified the main features of the redevelopment, the analysis is quite brief. You mention the changes to the gym and the addition of the cafe, but the description lacks the necessary detail and comparative depth expected for an Academic Task 1 response. To improve, you should aim to expand on the specific locations and the scale of the changes, ensuring you provide a more comprehensive overview of the data presented in the diagrams. The under-length nature of the response prevents a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of information. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Looking first at' and 'Turning to' to transition between different areas of the sports centre. However, the flow is somewhat mechanical, and the limited length restricts the use of more sophisticated linking phrases. To improve, ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that you use a wider variety of cohesive devices to connect ideas more fluidly throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You use terms like 'redevelopment', 'demolished', and 'extended' correctly, which is positive. However, there are some inaccuracies, such as 'poll' instead of 'pool' and 'two dance studio' (should be plural 'studios'). To improve, focus on using more precise collocations related to describing maps and changes, such as 'undergo a transformation' or 'be replaced by', and ensure you pay closer attention to pluralization and spelling.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
There are several grammatical errors that affect the clarity of your writing. For example, 'The map illustrate' should be 'The map illustrates', and 'additional facilities be introduced' should be 'additional facilities will be introduced'. You rely mostly on simple sentence structures, and there are issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage. To improve, practice using a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as passive voice constructions (e.g., 'a new sports hall will be constructed') and ensure you proofread your work to correct basic errors in tense and pluralization.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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