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 two plans compare the main changes which have taken place in the Grange park from 1920 to the present day.

Overall, it is evident that the park underwent significant changes. Several features were removed, while other amenities were added. The main development is replacing the musicians stage into theater for concerts.

Turning to the details, the fountain that was in the middle of the garden in 1920 has been removed and replaced by a rose garden surrounded by seats for the garden visitors. Similarly, the water plants pond in the far right upper corner of the park was changed into a play area for the children. The glasshouse in the southeast has been demolished and a water feature was built in the same place.

Another noticable changes was the construction of the concerts theatre, and adding a car bark area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task partially by outlining some of the main changes in Grange Park between 1920 and the present day, such as the introduction of the amphitheatre and the replacement of the fountain with a rose garden. However, the selection of features is somewhat incomplete, and certain details are missed or under-developed. Furthermore, the response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, standing at 141 words. To reach a higher band, the writer must ensure the word count requirement is met and provide a more fully developed overview that covers all significant transformations across the entire map.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into an introduction, an overview paragraph, body details, and a concluding sentence. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the changes, such as 'Overall', 'Turning to the details', and 'Similarly'. However, paragraphing is somewhat fragmented, with a single-sentence final paragraph that lacks full development. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression of ideas could be smoother to achieve a more cohesive and natural flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe common map changes with words like 'demolished', 'constructed', and 'replaced'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'musicians stage' instead of 'musician's stage' or 'stage for musicians', 'theater' spelling, and 'car bark area' instead of 'car park'. The range of vocabulary is limited, and these errors occasionally distract the reader, preventing the response from achieving a higher level of lexical precision and style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like relative clauses ('the fountain that was in the middle') and passive voice ('has been removed and replaced'). However, there are frequent errors in grammar and sentence construction, such as 'the main development is replacing' instead of 'is the replacement of', and the incorrect prepositional use in 'replacing the musicians stage into theater'. Punctuation and article usage also show occasional lapses, keeping the overall grammatical accuracy at a moderate level.

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

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