Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-22
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 figure demostrates the layout of university sports centre AND THE PROPOSED LAYOUT FOR THE FUTURE.
Overall, it clear that area will undergo significant changes. The main developments includethe construction of leisure pool and the removal of outdoor courts .
Looking first at the left hand part of the area, the outdoor courts was located at western side of the area. By in future this area had been changed considerably, with leisure pool . In addition ,on the east side there also a out door courts which is also replaced by dance studio and changing room on the south east corner .
Morever, on the south west corner there a sports shop . Furthermore, the gym area is expected to be expanded . However, the other facilities like seating area, pool and reception area remain unchanged . While the sports hall on the east side is newly introduced near the dance studio . There a new cafe on the south east corner attached to changing room
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully identifies the main features of the current sports centre and the proposed future layout, covering key changes such as the expansion of the building, the addition of a leisure pool, dance studios, a sports hall, and a sports shop, alongside unchanged features like the 25m pool and seating area. An overview is present at the beginning, noting that the area will undergo significant changes. However, the response suffers from some minor inaccuracies and omissions in spatial descriptions—for instance, stating that the outdoor courts 'was located at western side' when there were courts on both the east and west sides, and failing to fully detail the eastern additions in a cohesive manner. Despite these minor issues, all key parts of the task are addressed, and the comparison is largely accurate, aligning well with a Band 6.0 descriptor.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement, attempting to guide the reader through the changes from left to right and west to east ('Looking first at the left hand part', 'In addition, on the east side'). However, the paragraphing is very weak, with almost the entire body of the text lumped into a single block alongside brief, disjointed sentences towards the end ('There a new cafe...'). Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or faulty, such as 'By in future this area had been changed considerably', and referencing is occasionally unclear. Paragraphing and logical flow require more structured development to achieve a higher band, placing this firmly at Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating specific terms related to maps and facilities such as 'layout', 'redevelopment', 'facilities', and various rooms like 'dance studio' and 'sports hall'. There are, however, several noticeable lexical and collocational errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'demostrates' (spelling), 'includethe', 'leisure pool' missing an article ('a leisure pool'), 'out door courts' (spacing), and 'Morever'. While less common vocabulary is attempted, these errors and spelling mistakes occasionally distract the reader, though communication is not impeded. This corresponds to a Band 5.5 performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like passive voice ('is expected to be expanded', 'is newly introduced') and conditional/temporal framing ('By in future this area had been changed'). However, grammatical control is inconsistent, with frequent errors in verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and articles (e.g., 'the outdoor courts was located', 'there also a out door courts', 'there a sports shop', 'There a new cafe'). Punctuation and capitalization are also problematic, including random capitalization ('AND THE PROPOSED LAYOUT') and spacing errors around punctuation marks. These frequent errors place the grammar score at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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