Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-20

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 provided diagram below features the main changes in the redevelopment of a sports center in the future comparing to the present day appearance.

The layout consists of two outdoor courts, a seating area, a pool, a gym, a changing room and a reception as of today, which will further get equipped with more space and activities in future.

Starting with the changing room, reception area, seating area and 25m pool at the center remains the same. The gym will get spatial towards the east. Additionally, two new changing rooms would be introduced at the opposite ends through the main entrance on the east and west side of the sports center. Moreover, new blocks would be created like sports shop to the southwestern side, cafe to the southeastern side, dance studio to the northeastern side from the center of the sports center. Furthermore, a leisure pool to the west would also be developed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully identifies the main changes shown in the diagrams, comparing the present layout of the sports centre with its future redevelopment plans. Key features such as the retention of the central 25m pool, reception, and seating area are correctly noted, along with major expansions like the addition of a leisure pool, sports hall, dance studios, and new changing rooms. An overview is present in the second paragraph, summarizing the general transition towards a more spacious facility with additional activities. However, some directional details are slightly imprecise, such as locating the dance studio to the northeastern side instead of the eastern wall. Overall, the response covers the core elements required for Task 1 adequately.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into three paragraphs, providing an introduction, an overview, and a detailed body paragraph. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the spatial transformations, using phrases like 'Starting with', 'Additionally', and 'Furthermore'. However, the progression within the single body paragraph is somewhat congested, grouping multiple diverse changes together rather than organizing them logically by wing or area (e.g., west side versus east side). Paragraphing could be further refined to separate the overview entirely from the introductory sentence for better clarity.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing maps and plans, incorporating terms like 'redevelopment', 'layout', and 'spatial'. There are some awkward collocations and imprecise word choices, such as 'will further get equipped with more space' and 'The gym will get spatial towards the east', which sound unnatural. Less common vocabulary items are attempted, but minor inaccuracies in word formation and collocation prevent the lexical score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and conditional-like future forms ('which will further get equipped', 'two new changing rooms would be introduced'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including 'comparing to the present day appearance' (instead of 'compared to'), and prepositional issues like 'to the northeastern side from the center'. Despite these lapses, the errors do not impede overall communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout.

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

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