Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-15

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 5.5)

The map illustrate the structure of a present Islip town centre and its future development. Overall, it is noticeable that some features remained the same, the town will become more residential with the addition of some extra features.

Turning to the details, presently, the main road has been situated between many number of shops. Moreover, a park is located in the east side of the housing society. In addition, on the sothern side of a town, there is a school situated near the housing area. The park area and school are coonected to the main road,

In the future, the centre will be redeveloped by the addition of new features. The main road will be replaced for only pedestrains. Furthermore, shops area will be converted into bus station, car park and shopping centre. Similarly, dual carriageway will be developed on the west side of a centre. Following this ,the main road will be built again. Lastly, housing, school and lower shops area will be remained same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student attempts to address the task by describing the current layout of Islip and the proposed changes. An overview is provided at the beginning, noting that some features will remain while others will be added or modified. However, there are some inaccuracies and omissions in reporting the visual data; for example, stating that 'the main road will be replaced for only pedestrians' rather than noting it becomes pedestrianised while a new dual carriageway loops around the outside. Furthermore, certain spatial relationships and descriptions are vague or slightly misread, placing the student at Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is arranged into a logical overall structure, moving from an introductory overview to present details and finally future developments. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader, such as 'Turning to the details', 'presently', 'In the future', and 'Lastly'. However, paragraphing is slightly disjointed, with some sentences cut off abruptly, such as ending a paragraph with a comma instead of a full stop ('...connected to the main road,'). Referencing and transitions occasionally feel mechanical, leading to a Band 6 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'redeveloped', 'pedestrianised', and 'dual carriageway'. However, there are noticeable word choice and spelling inaccuracies, such as 'map illustrate' instead of 'maps illustrate', 'sothern' instead of 'southern', 'coonected' instead of 'connected', and awkward phrasing like 'housing society' and 'lower shops area'. These errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly in Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

A mix of simple and complex sentence forms is attempted, such as 'Overall, it is noticeable that some features remained the same, the town will become more residential...' which unfortunately contains a comma splice. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout, including tense confusion ('presently, the main road has been situated') and passive voice issues ('the main road will be replaced for only pedestrians'). While the meaning is generally communicated, the frequency of errors restricts the score to Band 5.5.

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

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