Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-12
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The plans below show a public park when it first opened in 1920 and the same park today.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The given maps illustrate how the public garden have changed between 1920 and the present day.
From an overall perspective, it is crystal clear that ponds for water plants, Greenhouse, fountain have been removed to make a way for new such as children's play area, Water feature, and expanded into many seats.
To begin with, in 1920, in the north-west direction there was rose garden, two seats, which is now rose garden remained intact but, seats have been removed. In 1920, in the north-east direction, there was also rose garden as well as ponds for water plants. Today it has been converted into cafe's seats and children's play area. In 1920, in the center there was fountain, but in present time it has been converted into rose garden attached with many seats. Beside in 1920, there was stages for musicians, but now it has been established into amphitheater for concerts.
Moving further, in 1920, in the south-west direction, there was two seats, rose garden then, now it have been removed on that site. In 1920, in the south-east direction, there was one seats in the corner and greenhouse after that, today it has been converted into water feature and entrance is located in the underground. Entrance, Eldon Street remained intact.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response successfully identifies the main features of the park's transformation. You have provided a clear overview and highlighted key changes, such as the removal of the fountain and the addition of the amphitheater. However, the report lacks precision in describing locations, often using vague phrasing like 'in the north-west direction' or 'beside'. To reach a higher band, ensure that you group information more logically—perhaps by focusing on the central area versus the perimeter—rather than listing changes in a somewhat repetitive, direction-by-direction manner. The summary of the main trends is present, but could be more analytical.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of time. You use some cohesive devices like 'To begin with' and 'Moving further' to transition between sections. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by mechanical phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Some referencing is slightly unclear, such as 'it has been converted into rose garden attached with many seats', where the subject 'it' is ambiguous. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer to their antecedents would enhance the overall coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'amphitheater', 'intact', and 'converted'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'make a way for new' (should be 'make way for new features') and 'expanded into many seats'. Additionally, there are minor errors in article usage and pluralization, such as 'there was two seats'. To improve, focus on using more precise nouns and collocations appropriate for describing map changes, such as 'replaced by' or 'transformed into'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the public garden have changed', 'it have been removed') and article usage. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some missing commas and unnecessary apostrophes, such as 'cafe's seats'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on consistent verb agreement and proofreading for basic punctuation would significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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