Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-12

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 5.0)

The idea about the university's sports centre now, and how it will be changed by some development. The present building has fewer features than the future.

Overall, the future building has a lot of facilities, such as a dance studio, a changing room, a cafe, and a sports shop. However, the area is the same.

In the present university sports building, the east and west sides of the building have two outdoor courts. There is a 25m pool located there at present. The gym and reception are on the north and south sides of the pool. In contrast, the seating and changing rooms.

University sports centre: the future plans are different from the present. There are several changes there. Dance studios and changing rooms are on the east side of the building; in contrast, the leisure pool. The cafe and sports shop are on the south side of the plan. Nevertheless, the gym, seating, a reception, and changing room at the same place in present building.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main contrast that the future centre will contain more facilities, and you mention several relevant features, including the leisure pool, dance studios, café and sports shop. You also correctly note that the gym, seating and reception remain in their original areas. However, the account only partially describes the plans: the expansion into the former outdoor courts and the new sports hall are omitted, and some locations are unclear or inaccurate. For example, the future café and sports shop are not both simply on the south side, and the leisure pool is on the west. The overview claim that “the area is the same” is not supported, since the building expands. A clearer overview and more accurate comparisons would make the key changes easier to understand.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has separate paragraphs and uses basic linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In contrast” and “Nevertheless,” so there is some attempt to organise the comparison. However, progression is uneven: the present-plan paragraph ends with the incomplete statement “In contrast, the seating and changing rooms,” while the final paragraph shifts between locations without explaining how they relate to the original layout. Some linking phrases are also used where the relationship is unclear, as in “Dance studios and changing rooms are on the east side …; in contrast, the leisure pool.” The repeated opening about the future plans adds little. Grouping the description into a clear overview, present layout and planned changes, with complete comparisons, would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “25m pool,” “outdoor courts,” “dance studios,” “leisure pool” and “sports shop,” which allows the reader to recognise several facilities. There is also some variety in phrases such as “located” and “on the … sides.” However, the range is limited and some wording is imprecise or awkward: “changed by some development” does not clearly describe redevelopment, and “the area is the same” is an inaccurate way to refer to the plans. Repetition of “building,” “present” and “future” also limits flexibility. Aim for precise location and change vocabulary, such as “extends,” “is replaced by,” and “to the east of,” while checking that each phrase matches the plan.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparisons, and several basic clauses communicate locations, for example, “The gym and reception are on the north and south sides of the pool.” However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and some attempts are incomplete or difficult to follow. “The idea about the university’s sports centre now, and how it will be changed by some development” is a sentence fragment, as is “In contrast, the seating and changing rooms.” The final sentence, “Nevertheless, the gym, seating, a reception, and changing room at the same place in present building,” lacks a main verb and has missing articles. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use accurate articles and prepositions when describing positions.

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