Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-12

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 map shows that the middle of the little town, now known as Islip, was the site chosen for its construction. In the overview, the main changes in the town are the bus station, the new housing, and many other facilities.

The recent map shows that there are no facilities in the town of Islip, and on the south side of the map, a school and a park; on the east side and the north side have the main road has many shops.

Then, in the development of the map, the area on the north side of the main road was converted in the Bus station, Shopping center, Car park, and a new house was built. On the south side, the dual carriageway was expanded and newly launched. The building of the school remained unchanged. On the opposite side of the pedestrians onnly the shops remained unchanged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarise the maps of Islip, noting key developments such as the new bus station, shopping centre, and the expansion of the dual carriageway. However, there are significant omissions and inaccuracies in the interpretation of the visual data. For instance, the student states that 'there are no facilities in the town of Islip' on the current map, which overlooks the existing shops and school shown. Furthermore, the length requirement has not been met, as the text contains 147 words instead of the minimum 150 words. This under-length issue, combined with incomplete coverage and minor descriptive flaws, results in a score of 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response shows some organisational structure, attempting an overview followed by descriptive paragraphs. However, progression is frequently disrupted by confusing spatial references, such as 'on the east side and the north side have the main road has many shops' and 'in the development of the map'. Paragraphing is weak, and cohesive devices are inadequate or misused (e.g., the abrupt transitional word 'Then'). Referencing is also occasionally unclear. While there is an overall attempt to structure a report, the mechanical and faulty cohesion restricts the text to a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, such as 'little town', 'facilities', and 'shops'. There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, including 'converted in the Bus station' instead of 'converted into', and 'newly launched' to describe a physical road expansion. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success. The lexical range is minimally adequate for the task, but errors in word formation and preposition usage cause some difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, such as 'on the east side and the north side have the main road has many shops' (which contains multiple verbs and a tangled clause) and 'on the opposite side of the pedestrians onnly the shops remained unchanged'. Punctuation and prepositional errors are frequent, and these errors occasionally impede smooth communication. Consequently, the performance aligns with Band 5.0.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.