Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-12
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 5.0)
The two map illustrate the mid point of a small city called Islip now and it also explain the varieties of plan for it's development and growth in future. The shops and the school are at the same position whereas Bus station, shopping centers and Car park are arranged side by side. Along with that main road now is substituted by Pedestrians only.
The planning of the Islip town centre now has tremendous efforts . The huge shopping centre has distributed into bus station, car park area and small portion of shopping centre. The recent main road is going to be made pedestrian only road. The opposite of recent main road is made varieties of shop. New housing is made next to the park.Dual carriageaway is new concept that has been made for the town planning.
The one thing that we found similar in the two map is that shops located below the main road of now is as same and park is also in the same position.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the maps, such as the pedestrianization of the main road and the addition of new housing and a dual carriageway. However, the description is somewhat disorganized and lacks a clear overview. The student attempts to compare the 'now' and 'future' states, but the reporting of specific details is occasionally confusing, such as the claim that the shopping centre has been 'distributed into' other facilities. To improve, ensure that the overview clearly summarizes the most significant changes and that the body paragraphs follow a logical grouping of features rather than a scattered approach.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organized into three paragraphs, which is a reasonable structure. However, the progression of ideas is often disjointed. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'Along with that', 'The one thing that we found'), they are sometimes used awkwardly or do not effectively link the sentences. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'The planning of the Islip town centre now has tremendous efforts', which does not clearly relate to the visual data. Improving the use of transition signals and ensuring each paragraph has a clear focus would enhance the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'mid point' instead of 'town centre', and 'distributed into' to describe the reconfiguration of space. The student relies on basic descriptors and struggles with accurate collocations related to urban planning (e.g., 'recent main road' instead of 'existing main road'). To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using more precise terminology related to maps and development, such as 'relocated', 'converted', 'extended', or 'demolished'.
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 two map illustrate', 'shops located... is as same') and incorrect article usage ('the bus station', 'the car park'). There are also punctuation and spelling errors, such as 'it's' used for the possessive 'its' and 'Dual carriageaway'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and pluralization.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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