Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-16

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 plan below depicts the layout of current state of a sports center and how it will look like after an upgrade.

Overall the plan depicts an extention of the edifice with enormous sections more than what it currently have. It also depicts an elimination of outdoor facilities.

The center pool, seating section and changing room will remain unchanged as the Gym department will maintain same width but an extended length. The outdoor court will be replaced by a leisure pool at the north-western axis of the plan as the outdoor court to the right will be replaced by a sports hall though in same square shape but a bit smaller in the plan size.

At the south-eastern flunk of the plan edifice, there will be a changing room and a cafe situated right beside it towards the entrance as the south-western axis will also have a changing room just like the section adjacent and towards the entrance, a cafe like structure will be the sport shop. Towards the North-east and extreme north central of the plan will be situated two dance studio. Only the central features including the reception was retained in the new plan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main change—the centre expands and the outdoor courts are removed—and note that the central pool, seating, changing room and reception remain. You also report several additions, including the leisure pool, sports hall, dance studios, café and shop, so the response covers the key stages of the redevelopment. Some details, however, are unclear or inaccurate: the leisure pool is on the west side, not specifically the north-west, and the two dance studios are along the eastern wall rather than in the north-east and extreme north-central areas. The gym’s change is better described as extending eastward, not simply gaining length. The overview is relevant, but “enormous sections” is vague; a more precise summary of the expansion and new facilities would make the main features clearer and more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has an opening, an overview and two detail paragraphs, and it generally moves from the existing layout to the proposed changes. However, the progression within the detail paragraphs is difficult to follow because several locations and changes are packed into long sentences. For example, the sentence beginning “At the south-eastern flunk” shifts between the south-east and south-west, then compares a café with a sports shop, making the relationships hard to track. Linking phrases such as “as” and “though” do not always show the intended relationship clearly. Use one sentence per area or group of related changes, and organise the description consistently by west, centre and east. Clearer referencing would also help readers distinguish the existing features from the additions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of vocabulary, including “elimination,” “replaced,” “adjacent” and “retained,” and these choices show an effort to describe change and location. However, several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural for a plan description, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. “Extention” is misspelled, “edifice” is an unsuitable term for the sports centre, and “south-eastern flunk” appears to be an incorrect word choice. Phrases such as “north-western axis” and “cafe like structure” are also imprecise. Aim for straightforward, accurate map language—such as “west side,” “building,” “corner,” “located” and “converted into”—rather than forcing uncommon vocabulary. This would improve precision while retaining an adequate range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use both simple statements and longer sentences with clauses, for example the comparison beginning “The outdoor court will be replaced…” This shows some range, but the longer structures are often difficult to control, and errors recur. In the opening, “layout of current state” needs an article and a more complete noun phrase; “how it will look like” is also an incorrect construction. Subject–verb agreement is faulty in “sections more than what it currently have,” and “two dance studio” needs a plural noun. Tense and passive forms are not consistently controlled, as in “Only the central features … was retained.” Break complex sentences into shorter, complete statements, and check articles, agreement, plurals and verb forms. These changes would make the description easier to read.

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