Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-06
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)
The maps illustrate about the current small town called Islip and plans for its development.
Overall, the Islip town have an unorganized city so planning to reconstruct the entire city to give more modernized and well structured.
Firstly, as per the plan, the main road will be enlarged throughout the city and named as Dual carriageway. The main road are planning to change for pedestrians only road. The shops in the countryside will be demolished and introduced three new areas such as Bus station, Shopping centre and car parking. Along with that New housing is added with street road that connect with eastern Dual carriageway.
The park area will be reduced in size and attached with the dual carriageway because of enlarging the roads. The southern side of housing will be divided into two parts as Housing which is located in south-west of Dual carriageway and New housing near by the park.
There is no changes in Shops below the main road, school and Housing which is located near the outside of Southern Dual carriageway.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the maps, including the road changes, the new facilities, and the housing developments. However, the overview is somewhat weak; it describes the town as 'unorganized' rather than summarizing the key spatial changes. While the main features are identified, the description of the changes is occasionally confusing, such as the statement that the main road will be 'named as Dual carriageway' and the contradictory description of the road becoming a 'pedestrians only road'. To improve, ensure that the summary clearly highlights the most significant transformations, such as the shift from a through-road to a pedestrianized zone and the expansion of residential areas, while maintaining factual accuracy based on the provided visual data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the development of the ideas. There is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Along with that', and 'Overall'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'Shops below the main road', which lacks specific spatial context. The transition between the description of the road and the housing is a bit abrupt. Improving the use of cohesive devices to link ideas more fluidly, rather than just listing them, would enhance the overall coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing for the description of urban features like 'demolished', 'reconstruct', and 'modernized'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'illustrate about' (should be 'illustrate'), 'unorganized city' (should be 'unplanned' or 'disorganized'), and 'street road' (redundant). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic descriptors. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more precise terminology related to urban planning, such as 'pedestrianized zone', 'residential expansion', or 'infrastructure development', and ensure that collocations are used correctly to convey meaning more naturally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('the Islip town have', 'The main road are planning'), incorrect article usage ('the current small town'), and awkward phrasing ('the main road will be enlarged throughout the city and named as Dual carriageway'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles would significantly improve the accuracy and professional tone of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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