Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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)

These maps illustrate the centre of a small town known as islip, mainly focusing on how it is now and future plans for its renovation.

Overall it can be seen now that Islip is having shops and a housing society where as in future there are shopping centre constructed and countryside is also demolished so is the road and it is a walking zone along new housing society.

At present shops are located on both sides of the roads. At south housing is most dominating sector side by side in south west direction there is a school situated there further more south eastern side there is a park besides housing and countryside surrounds the main area in the north.

On the other hand in future many developments have taken place such as now shopping centre, and a car park has been made side by side a bus station too with now only a single shop, more over the main road is demolished and is now a pedestrian only zone. In south a new housing is introduced along the old housing and by the west there is a dual carriage way newly made, and in the north country side is demolished.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the broad purpose of the maps and report several important changes, including the pedestrian-only street, the new shopping centre, bus station and car park, and the addition of housing. The overview also recognises that the town centre is being redeveloped. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the northern shops are replaced by three facilities, not “a single shop,” and the countryside is not shown as demolished; it is simply not labelled in the planned map. The description of the current layout also misplaces the school and park in relation to the housing. To strengthen the response, compare the two plans more precisely and include the dual-carriageway loop and the retention of the southern shops, school and some housing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, an overview, a description of the present layout and a paragraph about the planned changes. This gives the reader a basic progression from current conditions to future development. However, some links are mechanical or unclear, particularly “On the other hand” and the repeated “and” in the final paragraph. Several ideas are crowded into long sentences, making relationships between locations difficult to follow; for example, the sentence beginning “At south housing…” combines housing, the school, park and countryside without clear organisation. Group details by area or by what remains and what changes, and use clearer references such as “to the north” and “in contrast” to improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “pedestrian only zone,” “car park,” “bus station” and “dual carriage way,” so the main developments are generally identifiable. There is also some attempt to vary wording with phrases such as “renovation” and “dominating sector.” However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise for describing a town plan: “housing society” is not an appropriate label for residential areas, “demolished” does not accurately describe the countryside, and “side by side” is used where a location phrase would be clearer. Spelling and form also need attention, including “islip” and “more over.” Aim for precise map terms such as “residential area,” “is replaced by,” and “to the east/west of.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the response is usually understandable. However, errors in sentence construction and verb forms are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. For example, “Overall it can be seen now that Islip is having shops” uses an unsuitable tense and structure, while “there are shopping centre constructed” has problems with agreement and passive form. The sentence beginning “At south housing is…” also lacks a clear grammatical structure, and punctuation is inconsistent in the longer sentences. Practise accurate present-simple descriptions for the existing map and passive forms for planned changes, such as “The shops are replaced by…”; then check articles, agreement and sentence boundaries.

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