Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-14
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 plans depict layouts of grange park located at Arnold avenue when it opened for the first time in 1920 and the same park in recent times.
Overall, a comparison of the two maps reveals that many changes have been made in this park in past 100 years.
In the year 1920, even though the park was much more spacious, it had no facility of food, but during the next century, the park saw a number of significant changes. The most noticeable is that a fountain located exactly at the center of the park is replaced with a square rose garden with plenty of seats available on all fours side of the garden. Moreover, the glasshouse had been demolished to make way for a waterfall.
In contrast, the north and south entrance were not changed. The stage for musicians was upgraded to an amphitheatre in which concerts can be organized. Moreover, north-east side of the park is completely changed. Cafe and children's play area has been constructed and rose garden and a pond for water plants was removed.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The candidate successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two maps of Grange Park. An overview is provided, noting that many changes occurred over the past 100 years. Key spatial changes are highlighted, such as the replacement of the central fountain with a rose garden, the demolition of the glasshouse for a waterfall, and the addition of a cafe and children's play area in the north-east side. While some details could be slightly more fully developed or precise (for instance, the entrance details are mentioned briefly), the response effectively meets the core requirements of Academic Task 1, earning a band score of 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The report demonstrates a clear overall progression, moving from an introductory overview to specific comparative details about the central and peripheral areas of the park. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different zones of the park. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In the year 1920', 'moreover', and 'In contrast' are employed to structure the information logically, although referencing is occasionally slightly loose, as seen with 'north and south entrance' which should be pluralised ('entrances'). Nevertheless, the logical organisation makes the comparison easy to follow, supporting a band score of 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing maps and spatial changes, including terms such as 'demolished', 'amphitheatre', 'feature', and 'spacious'. There are some successful attempts at less common vocabulary ('significant changes', 'plenty of seats'). However, there are minor lexical inaccuracies, such as 'on all fours side' (should be 'all four sides') and minor prepositional or collocation choices. Despite these occasional errors, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication, meriting a band score of 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as concessive clauses ('even though the park was much more spacious') and relative clauses ('in which concerts can be organized'). There are some grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('Cafe and children's play area has been constructed' where a plural verb is needed, and 'north and south entrance were not changed' where 'entrances' is required) and tense inconsistencies ('had been demolished' versus present tense verbs in surrounding clauses). However, these errors rarely impede communication, resulting in a band score of 6.0.
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.