Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-22

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 figure illustrates a local park when it previously opened in 1920 and the same park nowadays.

overall, a lot of structures got replaced, starting with the stage for musicans, the fountain area, glass house and water plant pond. The features which remained the same as before include entrances and one rose garden with the others displaced to other places.

First off, the most prominent structure that got installed in place of musicans stage is the amphitheatre intented for concerts. The second design that got constructed in place of a water fountain is a rose garden with benches surrounding this garden from all four directions. This sitting arrangement is arranged for visitors to enjoy the beautiful scenery of flowers. In addition, the glasshouse usually intented for exotic flowers got swapped out with a beautiful water feature with tiny rocks arranged in a unique pattern. Next to the top entrance to Arnold avenue the previous rose garden now no more there got replaced by a cafe frequented by visitors.

Another innovation, includes the childrens play area which was previously ouccupied by water plants and a pond. Moreover, the entrance to Eldon street still stays the same as before but with minor changes. Originally, a rose garden and two benches were found next the the entrance but now its layout does not include any of them. Just one last structure added is the entrance for the underground parking area ,allowing people to park their vehicles in that place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features of Grange Park in 1920 and comparing them with the layout today. An overview is provided in the first paragraph, noting the major replacement of structures such as the stage, fountain, and glasshouse, while correctly pointing out features that remained. Key changes are reported, including the amphitheatre, the central rose garden surrounded by seats, the café, and the underground parking entrance. However, the tone and vocabulary choice occasionally lean towards informal narrative rather than objective report-writing (e.g., 'First off'), and some details are slightly informal. Nevertheless, all major visual data points are accurately addressed, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is arranged logically with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs detailing specific geographical changes. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'First off', 'In addition', and 'Moreover', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or conversational. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overall trends from specific spatial transformations. Referencing is generally clear, allowing the reader to follow the spatial comparisons easily from the 1920 layout to the contemporary map. Overall organisation meets the criteria for Band 6.0, as progression is coherent despite minor flaws in cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing maps and spatial changes, using terms like 'prominent structure', 'amphitheatre', 'exotic flowers', and 'water feature'. However, there are several noticeable spelling errors (e.g., 'musicans', 'intented', 'ouccupied') and slight word-choice inaccuracies ('swapped out', 'no more there'). While less common lexical items are attempted with some awareness of collocation, the repetition of basic verbs and spelling slips prevent the score from reaching a higher band. The vocabulary is minimally sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication, fitting Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'surrounded on all four sides by Seats', 'allowing people to park their vehicles'). There are, however, several grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, such as missing commas, awkward phrasing ('now its layout does not include any of them'), and extra spaces ('last structure'). These errors do not impede communication, but they occur with enough frequency to typify Band 6.0, where a mix of accurate and faulty structures is present.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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