Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-14

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 maps demonstrate current conditions and plan for future development structures of islip town centre.

Overall, current situation of islip town centre has large space while planned for development seems to be congested. dual carriageway been introduced in the map of planned town centre while main road have parted in between shops.However, shooping centre, bus station has been included for the planned development.

To begin with the map of islip town centre now, Country side is in the north while housing are constructed to the south of the map. Main road seems in the between of shops nearby housing.Park is situated in the east side. whearas school lies besides the housing in the south pole.

In the planned development of islip town centre, dual carriageway has been introduced in a round shape which connects to the pedestrains only pathway in the centre of dual carriageway from west to east. Housing has been divided in two part , inside dual carriageway and outside. Shoping centre, bus station and car park has listed accordingly in the place of shops in north side. south shops reamined as it is as old map of town centre.New housing has been construceted for development near car park connecting to the dual carriageway.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast between the existing town centre and the proposed redevelopment, including the new dual carriageway, pedestrian-only route, and replacement of northern shops with a bus station, shopping centre and car park. You also note that the southern shops remain. These are relevant central features. However, the overview that the current centre has “large space” and the plan is “congested” is vague and not clearly supported by the maps. Some important changes are omitted or unclear: the park becomes smaller, new housing is added south of the shops and northeast of the car park, and the school and southern housing remain outside the loop. Develop the overview around these specific transformations and describe locations more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by separate descriptions of the present map and the plan. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and several details are compressed into awkward sequences, such as “Main road seems in the between of shops nearby housing.” The transition “To begin with” is serviceable, but links between features and comparisons are limited; the final paragraph also ends without summarising the southern changes. Use clearer location-based sequencing—for example, describe the northern area, central route, and southern area in turn—and use reference words such as “whereas” or “while” accurately to connect comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “dual carriageway,” “pedestrian-only pathway,” “housing,” and “car park,” and you attempt to describe change with phrases such as “has been introduced” and “remained.” This gives you a workable range for the task. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “shooping,” “Shoping,” “construceted,” and “reamined.” Some expressions are imprecise or unnatural: “large space,” “in a round shape,” and “listed accordingly” do not clearly describe the map. Choose precise terms such as “loop,” “located,” and “replaced,” and check spelling carefully. Avoid repeating “introduced” when more specific verbs can distinguish additions, replacements, and retained features.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the reader can generally understand the main comparisons. However, control of sentence structure and basic grammar is inconsistent. Examples include “dual carriageway been introduced,” which lacks an auxiliary verb, and “housing are constructed,” where the subject and verb do not agree. Articles and prepositions are also often missing or inaccurate, as in “in the between of shops” and “in the east side.” Punctuation and capitalisation need attention, particularly the run-on “as old map of town centre.New housing.” Use complete clauses with consistent present and future forms, and check agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries. More accurate control of these patterns would make your descriptions easier to follow.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.