Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-20
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 maps illustrate changes to the Grange Park inaugurated in 1920 in contrast to the same park today.
Overall, the park has been renovated with a modern infrastructure including a cafe, children's play area, an Amphitheatre for concerts and water features were located in Arnold Avenue.
Looking at the layout in more detail, the rose garden in the top right of the park beside the pond for water plants in 1920 was transformed into a cafe, while the pond is replaced with children's play area in today's park. There is a fountain in the middle of the park replaced with a rose garden along with seats in front of the entrance to facilitate visitors. Although the stage for musicians was located in a small area at the west of the park, transformed into a vast area at the same site in today's park. Additionally, the glasshouse is also replaced with a water feature to give the park overall a modern look.
The maps depict the changes in the public park in a quite fascinating way. Meanwhile, the entrance remained at the same place in the new park where one is at the north site Arnold avenue, and the other is at the south Eldon street, with the addition of one entrance through a car parking was located underground.
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 student attempts to address the task by comparing the 1920 layout of Grange Park with its current state. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, mentioning key additions like the cafe and amphitheatre. However, there are some inaccuracies and vague statements in reporting the features, such as stating 'water features were located in Arnold Avenue' and awkward phrasing regarding the entrances. Furthermore, the selection of features could be structured more methodically to highlight the major spatial transformations. Despite these minor shortcomings, all main parts of the visual data are touched upon, earning a solid Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into four paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, body details, and a concluding remark. Progression is attempted, but some transitions and sentences feel disjointed or mechanical, such as 'Meanwhile, the entrance remained at the same place'. Paragraphing could be improved, as the final paragraph feels like an afterthought rather than a well-integrated conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, but referencing is occasionally unclear or clumsy. Overall coherence is maintained well enough to follow the comparisons, matching the descriptors for Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a map, using terms like 'inaugurated', 'renovated', 'transformed', and 'infrastructure'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'water features were located in Arnold Avenue' and 'car parking was located underground' instead of 'underground car park'. While less common lexical items are attempted, inaccuracies in form and precision prevent the score from reaching a higher band. Spelling is generally accurate, supporting a Band 6.0 level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including relative clauses and subordinate structures ('while the pond is replaced with children's play area', 'Although the stage for musicians was located...'). However, grammatical control is inconsistent, leading to errors and incomplete structures, such as dangling modifiers ('transformed into a vast area at the same site') and tense inconsistencies ('is replaced' versus 'was located'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but frequent minor errors in grammar keep the score at Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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