Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-17

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 university is making big changes to its sport centre as shown in the plan, as we see they are planning to keep the 25m pool with the changing room and seating also the reception will remain unchanged and it will face the main door but they plan to extend the gym to the east . They will get rid of the east outdoors and replace them with sports hall and two dance studios.

On the east side of the main door and below the sports hall they will add a café and a changing room ,they will get rid of the west outdooor courts and make a leisure pool and next to ita changing room and to the right of it a sports shop.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main direction of change and several important features: the 25m pool, seating, changing room and reception remain, while the gym expands and new facilities are added. The east-side sports hall, dance studios and café, and the west-side leisure pool are also reported. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the sports shop is described as “to the right” of the changing room, whereas it is positioned beside it in the south-west area, and the entrance is not clearly explained. The response also lacks a concise overview of the overall expansion and the range of new facilities. It is 25 words below the required minimum, which limits how fully you can describe and compare the plans. Develop the overview and clarify the locations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The information is broadly grouped by the changes to the east and west, and the reader can follow the general comparison between the current and proposed layouts. However, the response is presented as two very long sentences, so the sequence of details is difficult to track. Linking phrases such as “also,” “but,” and “and” carry too much of the organisation, and the repeated use of “they will” makes the progression feel list-like. Separate the response into an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph describing the main changes. Use clearer location-based sequencing, for example, moving from the centre to the west and then to the east, with references that make each facility’s position unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “extend,” “replace,” “sports hall,” “dance studios,” and “leisure pool.” These terms communicate the main redevelopment clearly. However, the range is limited and some choices are informal or imprecise for an academic report: “big changes” is vague, “get rid of” is conversational, and “outdoors” does not accurately name the outdoor courts. There are also spelling and spacing slips, including “outdooor” and “ita,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for precise facility names and formal verbs, and check spelling carefully. A wider set of location phrases, such as “to the west of” and “in the south-east corner,” would also help describe the layout more exactly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to connect several ideas using clauses, as in “as we see they are planning to keep the 25m pool,” and it uses future forms to describe the proposed plan. However, the sentence structures are often overloaded, with several changes joined by commas and “and,” which creates run-on sentences and weak punctuation. There are also grammatical problems in phrases such as “it will face the main door” and “next to ita changing room,” where the reference and sentence construction are unclear. The response relies heavily on “they will” rather than showing a wider range of accurate structures. Use shorter sentences, check clause boundaries, and vary forms such as “The plan retains…” and “A café will be added…”.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.