Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-05

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 6.5)

The maps below illustrate the present layout of the centre called Islip located in a small town and plans for its renovation.

Overall, the building is planned to undergo significant redevelopment. Although spaces dedicated to school, housing, shops and park will remaining the same while there would be an addition of new commercial facilities as well as new transport infrastructure. The region of countryside would be removed.

At present, there is countryside at the north, with shops directly below it with a main road between them. The park is located in the east-south section, just facing the road leading off from the main road, while the school is present at the bottom of the map. There is an enlarged space in the centre which has been dedicated to housing.

In the future, the commercial facilities would be surrounded by the dual carriageway, with a school and previous housing remain the same. However, there would be an addition of a bus station nearby the upper dual carriageway, with shopping centre, a car park and new housing will be at side by side. Notably, the main road will be transformed to pedestrians only, containing shops just directly below it. In addition, the parking area would be reduced and contained new housing nearby.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the maps, including the removal of the countryside, the pedestrianisation of the main road, and the addition of new infrastructure like the bus station and dual carriageway. The overview is clear and highlights the most significant changes. However, some descriptions are slightly imprecise, such as the location of the park and the school, which could be more accurately pinpointed using cardinal directions or relative positions. The development of ideas is generally logical, though the description of the future layout could be more structured to help the reader visualise the changes more effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, moving from an overview to a description of the present and then the future. Cohesive devices such as 'At present', 'In the future', and 'However' are used to guide the reader. However, there are some instances where the flow is slightly mechanical or awkward, such as the phrase 'east-south section' and the repetitive use of 'there is/there would be'. The referencing is generally clear, but some sentences feel slightly disjointed, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band for cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'redevelopment', 'infrastructure', 'pedestrians', and 'dual carriageway' used correctly. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'at side by side' instead of 'side by side' and 'nearby the upper dual carriageway' instead of 'near the upper dual carriageway'. While the range is sufficient to convey the main points, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band score. The repetition of basic verbs like 'is' and 'are' also limits the lexical variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader, such as 'will remaining' instead of 'will remain', 'contained new housing' instead of 'containing new housing', and 'shops just directly below it'. Subject-verb agreement and tense consistency are sometimes problematic, particularly when switching between the present and future states. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. More attention to verb forms and prepositions would improve the accuracy significantly.

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

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