Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-18
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 maps depicts the current layout of Islip town center and the future planned layout.
Considering from an overall perspective, it can be apparently observed that, the town center undergone significant changes with some new introduction including bus station, only pedestrian path, car park, dual carriage and new housing.
To begin with, in the current layout, the shops cover a large area in the center of north. However, it will divided into four section. Bus station, shopping center, car park followed by new housing in the middle east and it is connected with the road for easy commute. In the place of main road there will be a only pedestrian path. And the road will reintroduce in the circular way around the center. In contrast, the shops which is located in the middle south corner will remained relatively unchanged.
Furthermore, Housing located below the shops will redeveloped and moved slightly to the west side and besides it there will be introduction of new housing. The park will also reintroduce by decreasing its size besides new housing. Moreover, Dual carriage way will be also constructed in the south-west connecting to the road. Nevertheless, the school and housing in the north will remained relatively unchanged, but as per the future plan it will connected to the road.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to address all parts of the prompt by describing both the current layout of Islip and the planned developments. An overall trend is provided in the second paragraph, mentioning significant changes such as the introduction of a bus station and a dual carriageway. However, there are some inaccuracies and vague descriptions regarding spatial relationships and locations. For instance, stating that 'the shops cover a large area in the center of north' is imprecise, and describing the new housing as located in the 'middle east' lacks accuracy based on the provided map. Furthermore, some developments are described with awkward phrasing (e.g., 'pedestrians only path'). While the main features are touched upon, the lack of precision in reporting specific map changes places this response in Band 5.5 to 6.0; it is awarded 5.5 due to the noticeable inaccuracies in spatial details.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text is organized into four paragraphs, following a logical progression from an introduction to an overview, followed by specific details of the northern and southern changes. Cohesive devices are attempted (e.g., 'To begin with', 'In contrast', 'Furthermore'), but their usage is sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'Considering from an overall perspective, it can be apparently observed that'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different sections of the maps. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it slightly difficult to follow the precise spatial shifts. Overall, the organization shows a coherent structure, but cohesion and referencing faults prevent it from reaching Band 7.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'layout', 'pedestrian', 'car park', and 'dual carriageway'. However, there are numerous word choice, form, and collocation errors throughout the response, such as 'the town center undergone' (grammatical/lexical slip), 'only pedestrian path' instead of 'pedestrianized zone', and 'remained' used where 'remain' is needed. Words are sometimes misused, like 'reintroduce' instead of 'redeveloped' or 'relocated'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but lexical inaccuracies restrict the score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical errors are frequent. There are issues with tense consistency and verb forms, such as 'the town center undergone significant changes' (missing auxiliary), 'it will divided' (missing passive marker 'be'), 'shops which is located' (subject-verb agreement), and 'Housing located below the shops will redeveloped' (passive voice error). Punctuation and article usage also show persistent errors (e.g., 'a only pedestrian path'). Because errors occur frequently and occasionally impede smooth reading, a Band 5.5 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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