Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-07
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 maps illustrates the scenario of Islip city now and the future planning.
Overall, the first map shows the current situation and second one includes development procedure and future planning along with some new items which will improve whole situation.
Islip town centre now has 7 parts including school, park, housing and others. There's shop on both sides of the main street and it's quite simple. There is also countryside which is not really wanted feature for a central crowded urban area.
The future planned development for central area includes new items such as a whole path only for passerby. There's also in total 12 features have been added in plan and the countryside area has been removed from the plan. Instead of that there's new housing for people. However, to make the city more lively and ensure dynamic growth facilities like bus station, shopping mall and parking area is added in future plan.
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 covers the main features of the maps, such as the addition of the pedestrian path, the removal of the countryside, and the introduction of new facilities like the bus station and shopping mall. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For example, the description of the town centre as having '7 parts' is vague and lacks specific detail regarding the spatial layout or the relative positioning of these features. The comparison between the current and future states is present but could be more detailed to fully meet the requirements of a Band 7 or higher. The summary of the 'main features' is adequate, but the lack of precise descriptive language limits the depth of the response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. Phrases like 'Instead of that' and 'There's also' are used repeatedly, which makes the flow feel a bit stilted. The progression of ideas is logical, but the transitions between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall readability. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs lacks variety and sophistication.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. The student uses basic terms like 'new items', 'parts', and 'simple'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'development procedure' and 'not really wanted feature'. To improve, the student should incorporate more specific vocabulary related to urban planning, such as 'infrastructure', 'redevelopment', 'pedestrianised zone', and 'amenities'. While the meaning is clear throughout, the limited range of vocabulary prevents a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and articles. For instance, 'The maps illustrates' should be 'The maps illustrate', and 'There's shop' should be 'There are shops'. Additionally, '12 features have been added in plan' is missing an article. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. The student needs to focus on basic grammatical accuracy and the correct use of pluralisation and articles to improve their score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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