Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-25

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 showing a town plan for Islip. There is current plan present as well future proposed development are showing.

In new development plan, there is lot of necessity has been added such as bus station, special parking dedicated to cars, pedestrians road as well. It has been clearly showing that housing has been expanded. One side Shops has been kept, but north side shops has been merged into shopping centre as new infrastructure. School location has been kept as it is. South side parking has been revised to have small area than before. In old layout , it seems there is a straight main road and development was both north and south side, Whereas on new planned layout, there is dual carriageway. Everything was covers in dual carriageway.

Overall, New plan is well developed which added with facilities which was not there before. Along with that , it kept few area as it is with current plan now.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the maps, such as the addition of the bus station, the shopping centre, and the dual carriageway. However, the description is somewhat superficial. For example, stating 'everything was covers in dual carriageway' is inaccurate and lacks the precision required for a high band. While the main changes are identified, the comparison between the current and proposed layouts could be more detailed and analytical. The overview is present but lacks a clear summary of the most significant transformation, which is the shift from a simple road layout to a more complex, infrastructure-heavy design.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For instance, 'Along with that , it kept few area as it is' is awkward and lacks smooth transition. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition between the new infrastructure and the road layout feels abrupt. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the vague use of 'it' when referring to the town or the plan.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'lot of necessity' and 'small area than before' are imprecise and do not demonstrate a wide range of vocabulary. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'pedestrians road' instead of 'pedestrianised zone' or 'footpaths'. The student attempts to describe the changes but lacks the specific terminology needed to describe urban development effectively, such as 'demolished', 'expanded', 'converted', or 'integrated'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('there is lot of necessity has been added'), article usage ('on north side'), and tense consistency ('Everything was covers'). Sentence structures are mostly simple or contain errors when attempting complexity. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. To improve, the student needs to focus on basic sentence construction and ensure that verb forms and pluralisation are used correctly throughout the text.

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

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