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Cambridge 13 Writing Task 1 Test 1 - Sample Answers (Band 9 to 4-5)

Real band 9, 8, 7 and 6.5 sample answers for this prompt, plus a genuine band 4-5 answer so you can see exactly what pulls a score down. Every sample comes with examiner-style notes on Task Achievement, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range & Accuracy.

The Prompt

Road Access to City Hospital - 2007 and 2010

The maps below show road access to a city hospital in 2007 and in 2010.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

The Data

Key changes to road access at city hospital (2007 vs 2010)

Hospital entrance road: Single road from City Road (2007) → New ring road added around hospital (2010)

Car park: One car park at front (2007) → Additional car park to the rear (2010)

Bus stop: No dedicated bus stop (2007) → Bus stop added on City Road near entrance (2010)

Cycle path: No cycle path (2007) → Cycle path from City Road to hospital (2010)

One-way system: Not in place (2007) → One-way system introduced on access road (2010)

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Band 9

201 words

Identifies multi-modal access as the underlying theme rather than describing five separate, unconnected changes.

The two maps compare road access to a city hospital in 2007 with the situation in 2010, after several changes were made.

Overall, the 2010 map shows a much more developed and multi-modal approach to hospital access, with new infrastructure added for cars, buses, and cyclists alike, alongside changes designed to manage traffic flow more efficiently.

In 2007, the hospital could only be reached by a single road running from City Road, and there was just one car park located at the front of the building. By 2010, a new ring road had been added around the hospital, giving vehicles an additional route, and a second car park had been built to the rear of the building to accommodate greater demand.

Several other changes also improved access to the hospital by 2010. A dedicated bus stop was added on City Road close to the entrance, a feature entirely absent in 2007, and a new cycle path was constructed running from City Road all the way to the hospital, encouraging alternative means of transport. Finally, a one-way system was introduced on the access road, a measure presumably intended to reduce congestion now that the site was serving significantly more traffic than before.

Examiner Notes

Task Achievement: Covers all five changes (entrance road, car park, bus stop, cycle path, one-way system) with a precise overview identifying the shift toward multi-modal, better-managed access as the unifying theme, rather than listing changes as isolated facts.

Coherence & Cohesion: A clear overview precedes detail organised logically by feature, with cohesive devices ("by contrast", "finally") linking changes naturally.

Lexical Resource: Precise, varied language ("multi-modal", "accommodate", "presumably intended to") used accurately throughout.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Wide range of accurate structures, including passive voice for describing planned changes, used with full control.

Band 8

177 words

Accurate and clearly organised, just slightly plainer in tying the five changes together.

The two maps show road access to a city hospital in 2007 and how it changed by 2010.

Overall, access to the hospital became much more developed by 2010, with new roads, parking, and transport options added, along with a new system to manage traffic.

In 2007, there was only one road leading to the hospital from City Road, and just one car park at the front of the building. By 2010, a new ring road had been built around the hospital, and a second car park had been added at the rear.

Other changes were also made by 2010. A bus stop was added on City Road near the entrance, which did not exist before, and a new cycle path was built from City Road to the hospital. In addition, a one-way system was introduced on the access road, likely to help manage the increased traffic. Taken together, these changes suggest the hospital was adapting to a significant rise in the number of visitors and staff travelling to the site by multiple different means of transport.

Examiner Notes

Task Achievement: Covers all five changes accurately with a clear overview, though the connection between them is stated a little more simply than in the band 9 answer.

Coherence & Cohesion: Clearly organised with an overview followed by detail grouped by feature; cohesive devices are accurate throughout.

Lexical Resource: Good range of vocabulary for describing change, though "other changes were also made" is plainer than the higher-band answer's more integrated phrasing.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Accurate throughout, with a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures.

Band 7

161 words

All the changes are reported correctly, but the overview stays general rather than tying the details together.

The maps give information about road access to a city hospital in 2007 and in 2010.

Overall, there were several improvements to the hospital's road access between 2007 and 2010, including new roads, more parking, and new transport options.

In 2007, the hospital only had one road leading to it from City Road, and there was one car park at the front. By 2010, a new ring road was added around the hospital, and a second car park was built at the back.

There were also some other changes. A bus stop was added on City Road near the hospital entrance, and a cycle path was built from City Road to the hospital. A one-way system was also added on the road leading to the hospital. Taken together, these changes suggest the hospital needed to handle far more visitors and staff arriving by different types of transport than it did back in 2007, when only cars could really reach the building.

Examiner Notes

Task Achievement: Reports all five changes accurately with a basic overview, but the overview stays general and does not identify a clear underlying theme the way the higher-band answers do.

Coherence & Cohesion: Clearly organised by feature, though "was added" and "was built" are repeated frequently throughout.

Lexical Resource: Adequate range for the task; details are accurate but connecting language stays fairly plain throughout.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Generally accurate, mostly simple sentence structures; meaning is always clear.

Band 6.5

153 words

All the changes are correct, but agreement and passive-voice errors appear in almost every sentence.

The map give information about road access to city hospital in 2007 and in 2010.

Overall, there was several improvement to hospital road access between 2007 and 2010, including new road, more parking, and new transport option.

In 2007, the hospital only have one road leading to it from City Road, and there was one car park at the front. By 2010, new ring road was add around hospital, and second car park was build at back.

There was also some other change. Bus stop was add on City Road near hospital entrance, and cycle path was build from City Road to hospital. One-way system was also add on the road leading to hospital. Taken together, these change suggest hospital needed to handle far more visitor and staff arriving by different type of transport than it did back in 2007, when only car could really reach building. This show hospital was growing fast.

Examiner Notes

Task Achievement: Reports all five changes accurately with a basic overview, matching the content of the band 7 answer.

Coherence & Cohesion: Clearly organised by feature, following the same structure as the higher-band answers.

Lexical Resource: Limited by "road", "car park" and "change" being used without their plural forms throughout.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Frequent subject-verb agreement and passive-voice errors ("map give", "there was several improvement", "was add", "was build") appear in nearly every sentence.

Band 4-5 - What to Avoid

38 words

Three of the five planned changes are missing entirely, and it closes with a personal opinion rather than a report.

This map show hospital road before and after.

Before only one road, after they add more road and car park.

I think this is good for hospital, more people can come easy now, this help patient I think.

Examiner Notes

Task Achievement: The new bus stop, cycle path, and one-way system are never mentioned at all, several distinct changes are merged into one vague statement, and the closing comment is a personal opinion that has no place in a Task 1 report. At well under 150 words, the response is also underlength.

Coherence & Cohesion: Reads as three short, disconnected remarks rather than an organised comparison between the two maps.

Lexical Resource: Vague, repetitive vocabulary ("more road", "come easy") used instead of the specific features named on the maps.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Frequent errors throughout ("map show", "they add more road").

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These sample answers are written independently for Prep IELTS Now to illustrate real band-score differences. They are a study aid, not official Cambridge or IELTS material.