Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-17
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 Grange Park was first opened in 1920. Once passing through the main gate on the Eldon street you used to see a beautiful fountain right infront of you, but now it is being replaced by Rose garden with multiple seats around it. Previously on the left side of fountain there used to be a stage for musicians now a an Amphitheatre of modren style is there for concerts. When you entered park through Arnold Avenue there used to be Rose gardens on the both sides, the rose garden on the right side still exists but the garden on left is being transformed into a Cafe. The old Pond for water plants is being replaced by the Play area for the children. The water feature is also an addittion to the park. Today's park also holds an underground parking. Overall Park is being transformed from traditional style to new modern design.
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 covers the main features of both maps and makes general comparisons between 1920 and today. The writer identifies key changes such as the replacement of the fountain with a rose garden, the addition of an amphitheatre, a café, a play area, a water feature, and an underground car park. An overview is also provided at the end. However, the report is somewhat under-developed in terms of grouping and precise spatial referencing. For instance, describing the layout from a personal walking perspective ('Once passing through... you used to see') is inappropriate for an academic task report. Nevertheless, all main parts of the prompt are addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The report has a recognizable overall progression, moving from the central and western features to the northern and eastern changes, finishing with an overall summary statement. However, paragraphing is extremely weak, with almost the entire text crammed into a single block of text, which detracts from the visual organization expected in Task 1. Cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'previously', 'now', 'still exists'), but referencing is sometimes repetitive, and the lack of distinct paragraphs hinders the logical flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, successfully identifying park features such as 'fountain', 'rose garden', 'amphitheatre', 'café', and 'underground parking'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'infront' (in front), 'modren' (modern), 'addittion' (addition), and awkward phrasing like 'an Amphitheatre of modren style'. Less common lexical items are attempted but lack precision and accuracy, placing the response firmly in Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'When you entered park through Arnold Avenue there used to be...'. However, there are several grammatical errors and missing articles, including 'on the Eldon street' (Eldon Street), 'by Rose garden' (a rose garden), 'to a Cafe' (café), and 'entered park' (entered the park). Punctuation and capitalization are also inconsistent. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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