Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The maps below show the centre of a small town called Islip as it is now, and plans for its development.

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

after taking a look at the two maps we can easily observe the huge shift between the countryside theme into the modern theme where the current one only have two regular shops the planned map shows a variety of shops including a shopping center next to a bus station and a car park to make transport more easily either with buses or cars, infrot of them they suggest a only pedestrians road where people can walk calmly and freely next to a long line of different kind of shops, in addition they made more spaces for new housing in both sides by deleting the main road and turning it into a rounded dual carriageway this made traveling with or without cars ans buses better with some extra space in the school to welcome new students so looking at the future development plan we can determine that it's a perfect plan to support both social and financial economy

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad change from a mainly existing town centre to a more developed plan, and you mention several relevant features, including the shopping centre, bus station, car park, pedestrian street and dual carriageway. However, the account is only partly accurate and does not clearly summarise the most important changes. The current map has two rows of shops, not “only two regular shops,” and the plan retains the southern row. The school is not enlarged; it remains outside the new road loop. The overview also makes unsupported claims about improved travel and economic benefits rather than describing the mapped changes. To strengthen the response, compare the locations and what is retained, replaced or added, including the smaller park and new housing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response includes a sequence of related features, and linking expressions such as “in addition” and “so” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, it is presented as one long sentence-like paragraph, so the reader has little help distinguishing the overview from the detailed changes. Several ideas are crowded together, and connections are sometimes unclear—for example, the shift from the pedestrian street to housing and then to the school. The repeated use of “where” and “with” also makes the progression feel loose rather than clearly organised. Use a short overview followed by a paragraph comparing the northern and southern areas, and separate each main point into complete sentences with precise references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “shopping center,” “bus station,” “car park,” “pedestrians” and “dual carriageway,” which helps communicate the general subject. There is also an attempt to use descriptive language such as “rounded” and “variety.” However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or informal for a map summary: “countryside theme,” “modern theme,” “regular shops” and “a perfect plan” do not describe the mapped features precisely. Spelling and word-form errors, including “infrot” and “ans,” also reduce clarity. Aim for neutral, location-focused vocabulary, such as “is replaced by,” “is retained,” “to the north of” and “a loop road,” rather than evaluating the plan’s benefits.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to combine ideas using clauses and connectors, but it relies heavily on a single extended sentence, and complex structures are often not controlled. For example, “the current one only have” has an agreement error, while “they suggest a only pedestrians road” has problems with article placement and sentence construction. The opening phrase “after taking a look” is not followed by a clearly structured main clause, and punctuation is insufficient to separate the many ideas. These errors sometimes make relationships between features difficult to follow. Practise writing several shorter, complete sentences, checking subject–verb agreement and articles, and using full stops to mark each comparison.

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