Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-19
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 illustrate a public park when it first opened in 1920 and the same park today.
Overall, many changes happened during the period of time but the noteable part is that the entrance to the park remained the same. Moreover, the most significant addition to the park is the underground car parking which was completely missing in 1920. Today, the park contains more services and is modern.
In 1920, there was a fountain in the centre of the park and a stage for musicians was towards the left of the park. The number of seats was five, out of which four were around that stage while one was in the most right of the park. The old version contained a glasshouse also, present at the right of the entrance by the Eldon street. The three rose gardens were also more prominent at that time with a pond for water plants in the right corner of the entrance by the Arnold Avenue.
Today, the fountain is replaced by a rose garden having seats around it. The stage for musicians lost its place and now there is amphitheatre for concerts at the same place. Pond for water plants is replaced by children's play area along which a cafe is built replacing a rose garden. Furthermore, the glasshouse is removed by making a water feature there. The most vital change is making a underground car park present at the right of the entrance by Eldon street.
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 student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making clear comparisons between the 1920 park and the park today. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting key changes such as the addition of the underground car park and the preservation of the main entrances. The selection of data is generally accurate, noting the replacement of the fountain with a rose garden, the amphitheatre, and the children's play area. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reading the plan, such as miscounting the number of seats in the 1920 version and describing the glasshouse as being removed to make a water feature (when in fact it was replaced by a water feature in a slightly different south-eastern position). Overall, the response addresses the prompt well, earning a band score of 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a clear overall arrangement with information organized into logical paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, a description of the 1920 layout, and a description of the present layout. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate time periods. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'In 1920', 'Today', and 'Furthermore', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive ('The old version contained...', 'Today, the...'). Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be smoother in the body paragraphs. These features align well with the Band 6 descriptor.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'amphitheatre', 'glasshouse', 'fountain', and 'underground car park'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices and phrasing are slightly unnatural, such as 'noteable part' (notable), 'most right of the park' (easternmost part of the park), and 'making a water feature there'. Spelling is generally accurate, with the exception of 'noteable'. Vocabulary errors do not impede communication, making this a solid Band 6 performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('which was completely missing in 1920') and passive voice constructions ('the fountain is replaced', 'a cafe is built'). There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout, such as 'many changes happened during the period of time', 'the number of seats was five' (misinterpreting discrete seat blocks on the map as a count of five), and 'making a underground car park' (incorrect article 'an'). However, these errors do not impede communication and the basic meaning remains clear. This fits the criteria for Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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