Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-03

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 map illustrates the information about public park when it was first started in 1920 and the same park now-a-days.

Overall, the whole park was constructed and change the directions of things shifted to one place to another in the current time. While, in past some sites was not present. However, it was built in current ages and somethings looks it is renovated and built bigger in size today.

On the one hand, in 1920 the rose garden was placed in the northeast direction. While it was remained same in the current ages. However, there was another rose garden in 1920 in the northwest but, after renovation it was moved in the center of the park and cafe were built. In 1920 seats was present everwhere. Now, In the middle, the seats were surounding in ths square shape of the rose garden.

On the other hand, In 1920 ponds for water plants was present in top northwest corner. Therefore, children's play area constructed there now-a-days. Also, water features were make in the current ages which was not present in 1920. In 1920, stages of musicians are placed in the northeast side and it is renovated and built in bigger size in today named as Amphitheatre for concerts. Entrance was remained the same. Also, the entrance of underground car park were available now-a-days.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially, attempting to compare Grange Park in 1920 with its layout today. However, the selection of features lacks clarity and contains several inaccuracies regarding spatial changes and locations. For instance, the student states that the northwest rose garden was moved to the center, whereas the maps show a new central rose garden replacing the fountain, and the northwest garden actually remained in place. Furthermore, the description of the stage for musicians being in the northeast is factually incorrect according to the visual data. While an overview is attempted at the beginning, the development of ideas is limited, and the supporting details are frequently vague or confused. To reach the next level, the writer needs to ensure all reported features are accurately interpreted from the visual prompt and provide a clearer, more precise overview of the major spatial transformations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic logical arrangement in the response, dividing the description into an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for different parts of the park. However, the overall progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and weak mechanical linking. Transition words such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand' are applied inappropriately for a map comparison task, where spatial organization rather than counter-argumentation is required. Additionally, referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to follow which specific features are being contrasted between the two time periods. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion within sentences often breaks down. To improve, the writer should use clearer spatial referencing terms, such as 'located in the western section' or 'replaced by', and ensure that cohesive devices naturally guide the reader through the comparative analysis.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task, with noticeable errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. There are frequent word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'first started' instead of 'first opened', 'current ages' instead of 'present day' or 'modern times', and 'water features were make' instead of 'installed' or 'constructed'. Spelling and word form slips also occur, such as 'surounding' and 'now-a-days' used repeatedly instead of 'today'. While the writer attempts some less common vocabulary items like 'renovated' and 'amphitheatre', control over these terms is weak. To progress, the student should expand their range of functional descriptive vocabulary and focus on accurate word forms and standard collocations suitable for describing physical changes in maps.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences alongside poorly controlled attempts at complex forms. There are frequent errors in verb tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and articles, such as 'the rose garden was placed' when referring to multiple gardens, 'cafe were built', and 'seats was present everwhere'. Prepositional usage and singular/plural agreement are also problematic, as seen in phrases like 'in top northwest corner' and 'stages of musicians are placed'. These frequent grammatical errors cause some difficulty for the reader and impede fluency. To achieve a higher band, the writer must demonstrate better control over passive structures for describing changes, maintain consistent past and present tenses, and eliminate basic agreement and article errors.

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

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