Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-24
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 given maps require us to contrast between their development plans for a small town named Islip. We can see that there's a lot of difference in the condition of the town now vs the one after planned development.
The similarities are that both of them are seen having the same direction ie., theres no change in direction. The school remains on the south western part of both the plans. The park is somehow deduced of its size, but remains on the south western part of the town. The town now is divided by a main road which has shops on either side and housing facilities towards the south. The new plan has joined paths to connect one another. They introduced dual carriageway particularly. Introduction of bus station, shopping centre and car parkings are seen along with new housing facilities towards the north. The main road is now restricted to pedestrians. We can also see the addition of new housing next to the old ones.
This plan can help with development of the town helping it to be a bigger one.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the maps, such as the new dual carriageway, the pedestrianization of the main road, and the addition of new facilities. However, the overview is weak; it lacks a clear summary of the most significant changes. The description of the park's size is inaccurate based on the visual evidence, and the statement that the school remains in the 'south western part' is confusing as it is actually in the north-west. The response would benefit from a more structured approach, clearly separating the 'current' layout from the 'planned' layout to ensure better clarity for the reader.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into three short paragraphs, but the logical flow is somewhat disjointed. While there is an attempt to use cohesive devices, they are often mechanical or misused, such as 'The similarities are that both of them are seen having the same direction'. The transition between describing the current town and the future plans is abrupt. Paragraphing is present but not used effectively to group related information, such as grouping all transport changes or all housing developments together. Improving the use of linking words would help the reader follow the comparison more easily.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. Phrases like 'somehow deduced of its size' are unnatural and imprecise. The student relies on basic descriptors such as 'a lot of difference' and 'new housing facilities'. There is an attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'dual carriageway' and 'pedestrians', but the overall range is limited. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using more sophisticated collocations and precise terminology related to urban planning, such as 'infrastructure', 'residential zones', or 'redevelopment'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that, while not impeding communication, are noticeable. For example, 'both of them are seen having the same direction' is awkward, and 'car parkings' is an incorrect pluralisation of an uncountable noun. There are also issues with preposition usage and article omission. While the student attempts to use complex sentences, the control over these structures is inconsistent. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and more accurate sentence construction will help improve the overall grammatical accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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