Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-08

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)

The two given maps depicts the centre of a small town which is known as Islip as it is present and its upcoming development.

Overall ,there is a big difference in infrastucure of both maps. The first one shows the shops and housing with a row and the second one predicts a better structured plan with standalone shops ,housing and park.

At the present time,the map of Islip shows the school in the Southeast.On the left of its, there is two housing scheme one is at top and the other one is at bottom. The park is at the corner of east.In the north, it can be seen that there are two parades of shops located on both sides of main road.

The planned map of town centre for its development illustrates that there will be a bus station and shopping centre in the north west .A new housing will located just next to car park in the East.Beneath there will be a footpath for pedestrians only.A row of shop will be located which will also link to housing and park.On the left corner ,a park of city centre will be build.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the maps as showing Islip now and after development, and you mention several relevant features, including the shops along the main road, the pedestrian-only route, and planned new housing. However, the overview is vague: “a big difference” and “a better structured plan” do not clearly summarise the main changes. Some details are inaccurate or unclear. The current map has one housing area south of the shops, rather than “two housing scheme[s],” and the planned park is reduced and remains inside the new road loop, not at the “left corner.” You also omit major changes such as the dual carriageway and the bus station, shopping centre and car park being arranged north of the pedestrian street. Select and compare these key features more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the present and planned layouts. This helps the reader follow the broad time sequence. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and several details are grouped without precise spatial links. For example, “A new housing will located just next to car park in the East” is followed by “Beneath there,” whose reference is not clear. Linking phrases such as “At the present time” and “The planned map” are useful, but the description would be easier to follow if you consistently moved from north to south or west to east and used clear comparisons between the two maps. Paragraphing is present, but cohesion remains somewhat mechanical and uneven.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “main road,” “pedestrians only,” “bus station,” and “shopping centre,” and you attempt to describe location with terms such as “Southeast” and “Beneath.” However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural, which makes some map details difficult to interpret. “Two housing scheme” does not accurately name the feature, while “parades of shops” is less suitable here than a clear description of rows of shops. There are also spelling and word-form errors, including “infrastucure” and “build” where a past participle is needed. Aim for precise map vocabulary and check spelling; use terms such as “located,” “remains,” “is replaced by,” and “to the north of” accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more developed sentences, but control is inconsistent, and errors occur often enough to make some relationships unclear. For example, “The two given maps depicts” has subject–verb disagreement, while “there is two housing scheme” has agreement and plural errors. The future description also contains faulty verb forms: “A new housing will located” should use “will be located,” and “will be build” should be “will be built.” Articles and sentence boundaries need attention as well, as in “a row of shop” and the run-on punctuation around “north west .A new housing.” Practise accurate present and future passive forms, agreement, plurals, and punctuation. These corrections would make your comparisons easier to understand.

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

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