Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The maps provided illustrate the centre of a small town called Islip as it is now and plans for its development.

Overall, the area will experience a significant development, with several new facilities being constructed while some older features were removed.

Several major developments can be seen. One noteworthy change was that a dual carriageway will be constructed around the Islip town centre. The older main road was converted into a pedestrian road. Another major change occurred on the north side of the main road, where older shops and the countryside were replaced by various new facilities, such as a bus station, shopping centre and car parking area, as well as new housing facilities (a new road was built from the dual carriageway leading to the new housing).

In addition, another new houses were positioned on the left of the parking, while the parking area will become small. After that, housings will be increased from two to four. However, it is clear from the plans that the older shops that are situated on the southern side of the main road and school will remain unchanged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by presenting an overview of the current town centre of Islip and outlining the planned developments. The main features are reported, such as the introduction of a dual carriageway, the pedestrianisation of the old main road, and the addition of new housing and amenities like a bus station and shopping centre. Comparisons are made between the current map and the future plans. However, there are some minor inaccuracies or confusions in reporting details, such as stating 'while some older features were removed' in the overview when only some shops are replaced, and slight vagueness in describing the housing expansions. Nevertheless, the response covers the task well overall, satisfying the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0, and is placed solidly at Band 6.5 due to slight under-development in specific spatial tracking.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The text demonstrates a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory sentence, moves to an overall summary statement, details the major changes on the north side, and concludes with further developments on the southern and left sides. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'One noteworthy change', 'Another major change', and 'In addition'. However, referencing and cohesion become slightly faulty and mechanical in the final paragraph, with phrases like 'another new houses were positioned' and 'After that, housings will be increased' disrupting the logical flow and cohesion. Overall, the response maintains a coherent arrangement, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptors well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to urban planning such as 'dual carriageway', 'pedestrian road', 'shopping centre', and 'car parking area'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, but these are sometimes marred by word choice and collocation errors, such as 'housings will be increased' instead of 'housing will be expanded' or 'number of houses will increase', and 'another new houses were positioned'. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control is inconsistent. These errors do not impede communication, placing the response appropriately at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('shops that are situated on the southern side') and participial phrases ('with several new facilities being constructed'). However, there is a noticeable issue with tense consistency and grammatical accuracy, particularly mixing past and future time markers ('while some older features were removed', 'a dual carriageway will be constructed'). Additionally, there are agreement and structural errors like 'another new houses were positioned' and 'housings will be increased'. These errors reflect a mix of simple and complex forms with occasional awkward phrasing that points to a Band 6.0 level.

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

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