Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-03
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 two plans describe the structure of a university's sports centre now, and how it look after redevelopment.
Overall, areas which remaind same in both structures are gym, seating, 25cm pool, reception abd entry point of university sports centre.Gym will be more spacious in new centre. After redevelopment, the university sports centre will look more complex and compatible for the players
.
To begin, the outdoor centre in the west side of present centre will be changed by leisure pool. A changing room will be added in the south side with the sports centre aside.The outdoor courts in the east side of the old sports centre will be changed by sports hall.
Admittedly, On the entry side of new centre a cafe and changing room will be aded in the south-east side. Two dance studios will be added in the east side. THE new sports centre will be xchanged into a rectangular structure and more spacious.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the university sports centre before and after redevelopment, making relevant comparisons such as noting that the gym will become more spacious. However, some parts of the response are under-developed or less clear. For instance, the writer mentions that 'the outdoor centre in the west side of present centre will be changed by leisure pool,' but fails to fully clarify all spatial relationships or completely describe the new additions like the sports shop and changing rooms in the south-west. While an overview is attempted, it remains somewhat basic. To reach a higher level, the student needs to present a fully developed overview that synthesises the most striking trends and ensure every key spatial change is elaborated with greater precision.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the information into paragraphs, beginning with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing the western, eastern, and southern transformations. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty and mechanical, as seen in the abrupt transitions like 'To begin' and 'Admittedly,' which do not fit the formal academic tone required for a process or plan description. Furthermore, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as pronoun or structural links between sentences. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion lacks smooth progression. To improve, the student should employ a wider and more natural variety of cohesive devices and ensure logical linking phrases that suit an academic report comparing visual layouts.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic layout changes using terms such as 'redevelopment,' 'structure,' 'spacious,' and 'rectangular.' However, the range is limited, and there are noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word form—such as 'remaind' instead of 'remained,' 'abd' instead of 'and,' 'compatible' instead of 'suitable,' and 'xchanged' instead of 'transformed' or 'converted.' The student attempts less common vocabulary, but these inaccuracies occasionally cause slight confusion. To achieve a higher band, the writer must expand their lexical repertoire with precise architectural and descriptive vocabulary (e.g., 'demolished,' 'extended,' 'replaced by') and eliminate spelling and word-choice slips.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response exhibits a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence forms, such as 'The two plans describe the structure of a university's sports centre now, and how it look after redevelopment.' There are several grammar errors throughout the text, including tense inconsistencies ('how it look' instead of 'how it will look'), missing articles ('in west side' instead of 'on the west side'), and awkward prepositions ('changed by leisure pool' instead of 'replaced by a leisure pool'). Although these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur regularly. To move up to the next band, the student needs to demonstrate better control over complex structures, ensure accurate subject-verb agreement and article usage, and reduce the frequency of basic grammatical slips.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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