Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-17

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)

This picture of Islip town centre demonstrate some places and they have a idea to change and addition more shops.

The main road is in front of countryside area, and the shops, Residential side, park, and school are exist in town for current time.

They have a plan for some changing, they want to creat a road to the around of this city in future, their desires to built new housing, bus station, car park, shopping centre, and carriageway.

If we talk about now time so, they have only two housing points, but want to change it for coming time, they made a map where, there are two new housing location are involve.

Bus station is also new notion, and parking is not avaible at this time but, they added a car parking in their map moreover, they haven't road for now but they planned to make it for future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to cover the main features of the maps, such as the new housing, bus station, and road. However, the description is quite superficial and lacks a clear overview or a structured comparison between the current and future states. The information is presented in a fragmented way, and some details are inaccurate or confusing, such as the mention of 'two housing points' which does not clearly reflect the layout shown in the diagrams. To improve, you should provide a clear summary of the most significant changes and group information logically, rather than listing features in a disjointed manner.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into short, somewhat disjointed paragraphs. While there is an attempt at logical progression, the flow is hindered by awkward phrasing and a lack of effective cohesive devices. Transitions between sentences are often missing or repetitive (e.g., 'If we talk about now time so'). The use of referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the current map and the proposed development. Improving the use of linking words such as 'furthermore', 'in contrast', or 'consequently' would help create a more cohesive and professional structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and often imprecise. There are several instances of non-standard word choices, such as 'addition more shops' instead of 'additional shops' and 'new notion' instead of 'new feature'. The phrasing 'around of this city' is also unnatural. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic meaning, it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You should focus on learning topic-specific vocabulary related to maps and urban planning, such as 'bypass', 'residential area', 'proposed', and 'infrastructure', to improve the sophistication of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('This picture... demonstrate'), incorrect verb tenses ('they have a idea'), and awkward sentence structures ('their desires to built'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. The range of structures is limited, relying mostly on simple sentences with some errors in complex constructions. To reach a higher band, you need to focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring correct verb forms, and reducing the frequency of errors in articles and prepositions.

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

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