Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-02
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 public park below illustrates how it first opened in 1920 and how the same park has evolved today.
Overall, there were a stage for musicians, a fountain, a pond for water plants, and a glass house in the Grange park in 1920. Now, there is a large rose garden, an amphitheater for concerts, a café, a children's play area, a water feature, and an underground car park.
As far as the left side from both the north and south entrances, there were two rose gardens, four seats, a stage for musicians, and a fountain in 1920. However, now all of these buildings have been destroyed except for the rose garden in the north, and instead, an amphitheater for concerts has been prepared.
When it comes to the right side from the entrance, there were both entrances, the north side on Arnold Avenue and the south side on Eldon Street, a fountain, a rose garden, a pond for water plants, a glass house, and seats in 1920. However, today all of these buildings have been destroyed, and instead, four seats have been made with a large rose garden in the middle, a café, a children's play area, a water feature, and an underground car park entrance.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the park in 1920 and today, providing a clear overview. However, the description is somewhat repetitive and relies heavily on listing items rather than synthesizing the changes. For instance, the phrase 'all of these buildings have been destroyed' is used twice, which is inaccurate as some features (like the rose garden) were retained or relocated. While the main trends are identified, the comparison could be more analytical. To improve, focus on grouping features by their transformation (e.g., replaced, added, or retained) rather than listing them side-by-side, which would provide a more cohesive summary of the park's evolution.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on different sides of the park. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'As far as', and 'When it comes to' are used to guide the reader. However, the referencing is occasionally mechanical, and the transition between the 1920 description and the current state could be smoother. The use of 'the left side' and 'the right side' is a helpful way to structure the spatial description, but the repetition of sentence structures makes the flow feel slightly rigid at times.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'amphitheater', 'underground car park', and 'water feature' correctly. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on basic verbs like 'made' and 'destroyed'. The word 'buildings' is used to describe park features like rose gardens and ponds, which is an inaccurate collocation. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more precise vocabulary related to urban planning and landscape changes, such as 'replaced by', 'transformed into', 'redeveloped', or 'retained'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'there were a stage' (should be 'there was a stage') and 'the left side from both the north and south entrances' (which is slightly confusing). Punctuation is generally handled well, and the errors present do not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and varying sentence structure to avoid repetitive 'there were/there is' patterns, which would demonstrate better control over complex grammatical forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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