Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-04
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 provided maps illustrates changes in the structure of small town center between past planned development and current Islip town centre.
Overall, it is evident that the present Islip town center eliminated numerous transformative plans for town center reconstruction. Initially, entire facilities were planned to construct inside the round roads, and both sides of the vehicle roads were connected from west to east. Hence, current town center demonstrates a straight main road which across the other facility from west to east. Moreover, previous development plan showed various locations such as bus station, pedestrians road, plenty of housing places and car park zone.
Conversely, for current construction, they eliminate those plans to safeguard the area of countryside, as for, got rid of the car parking zone, bus station, and the round connective vehicle road. Furthermore, recent town center showed two shops in north aside, and mitigate the number of housing compared to previous plan. Under such circumstances, previous plan development successfully constructed the park, school, and housing areas.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to describe the changes between the two maps, but it struggles with accuracy and clarity. The interpretation of the 'planned development' versus the 'current' town centre is confusing; the student refers to the 'planned' map as if it were a past reality that was 'eliminated', rather than a proposal. While the main features are mentioned, the description of the layout is often vague or inaccurate (e.g., 'entire facilities were planned to construct inside the round roads'). The summary lacks a clear, objective overview of the key spatial changes, making it difficult for the reader to visualize the town's transformation.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into three paragraphs, which is a standard structure. However, the logical progression is hindered by awkward phrasing and confusing transitions. While cohesive devices like 'Conversely', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore' are used, they are sometimes employed incorrectly or do not effectively link the ideas. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing the 'previous plan' versus the 'current' state, which makes the flow of information feel disjointed and repetitive. Paragraphing is present but does not always group related ideas effectively.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are several instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'transformative plans for town center reconstruction' and 'mitigate the number of housing'. The phrase 'round roads' is an inaccurate description of the ring road shown in the diagram. While the student attempts to use some descriptive language, the lack of precision and the reliance on basic vocabulary prevent the response from achieving a higher score. Some phrasing is unnatural, which occasionally obscures the intended meaning.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Subject-verb agreement issues are common, such as 'The provided maps illustrates' and 'recent town center showed'. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'in north aside' and 'across the other facility'. While these errors do not completely prevent the reader from understanding the general topic, they are frequent enough to cause some difficulty and indicate a lack of control over complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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