Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-05
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 depicts the information about the layout of a educational institute's sports centre currently and how it will look after transformation.
By having the quick glance, it is evident that area of gym will be expanded. Moreover,changing room seating and reception will remained similar after redevelopment. In addition, outdoor courts were demolished and new facilities were introduced.
On analysing it, in present time the centre was unstructured while there is pool of 25m in middle which is surrounded by changing room, gym seating area along with reception on south side with outdoor courts located on both the left anf right sides of it.
Probing further, on north-west side leisure pool will estahblished along with changing room. Apart from this, gym area was expanded,changing room, seating and reception remaind same.As numerous of facilities will be added on north-west side such as dance studio , a cafe changing room and sports hall.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the task partially by attempting to describe the main changes between the present and future layouts of the university sports centre. An overview is attempted at the beginning, noting the expansion of the gym and the removal of the outdoor courts, but it is somewhat superficial. While some key features are mentioned, such as the leisure pool, sports hall, and dance studios, the details are limited and under-developed. For example, the spatial relationships and exact locations of the newly added facilities are confusingly reported, such as stating that multiple facilities will be added on the north-west side when they are actually distributed across both the west and east wings. Ideas are also repetitive in places, which restricts the depth of the response.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
There is some organisation evident in the structure of the essay, with an introduction and body paragraphs attempting to track the comparison. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the logical flow is disrupted by confusing spatial references and abrupt shifts between ideas. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or are inaccurate, such as 'By having the quick glance' and 'On analysing it', which feel unnatural and clumsy as transition markers. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion within paragraphs fails to connect the spatial changes logically for the reader, making the overall arrangement difficult to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic topic of building transformations. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations that cause some difficulty and reduce precision, such as 'educational institute's', 'remained similar' instead of 'remain unchanged', and 'pool of 25m' rather than '25-metre pool'. Spelling and word-formation errors are also present, such as 'estahblished' and 'anf' (typographical/spelling slip), alongside awkward phrasing like 'in present time the centre was unstructured'. Attempts at less common vocabulary are constrained by these recurring inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences or flawed attempts at complex clauses. There are frequent grammatical errors in tense usage, article selection, and prepositions, such as mixing present and past tenses when describing maps ('the centre was unstructured while there is pool'), missing articles ('area of gym', 'on south side'), and incorrect subject-verb agreement or auxiliary patterns ('reception will remained', 'leisure pool will estahblished'). Punctuation and spacing issues are also noticeable throughout the text, such as missing spaces after commas and periods. These frequent errors cause strain for the reader.
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