Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
The provided diagrams illustrates about a small town, the Islip town centre's todays design preview and how it will look after the planned develpment.
Overall, it is visible that the planned development area is bigger than the recent town centre and in proposed design they included many extra facilities like new housing, car park, bus station etc.
On the one hand, at presents Islip town centre there is only a straight main road whereas in planned layout the road is dual carriageway. School and housing is still in the same place like todays town.In planned design, they included new housing that is not in present town area. Besides, the park area is also smaller than todays park area. In todays main road area,after develpoment will be available for pedestrians only.
On the other hand, car park, shopping centre, bus station these are new facilities in planned development while the position of shops still will be same as todays position.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully addresses the main features of the two maps, presenting an overview that highlights the expansion of the town centre and the addition of new amenities such as the bus station, car park, and new housing. Key comparisons are made, noting changes to the road network (the introduction of a dual carriageway and pedestrianisation), the reduction in park size, and the retention of the school. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and omissions in reporting specific details, such as the claim that the position of shops will be the same, whereas the northern shops are actually replaced by public facilities while the southern strip remains. Overall, the response covers the core aspects required for Task 1, earning a solid Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is arranged with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs contrasting different aspects of the maps. However, the logical progression is hampered by awkward paragraphing and transitional phrases like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand', which are applied somewhat incorrectly for spatial comparisons between maps. Cohesive devices are used, but referencing (such as 'that is not in present town area') can be unclear. Paragraphs lack internal thematic unity because different features are mixed together across the sections. Cohesion overall is somewhat mechanical, leading to a Band 5.5 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for describing simple map features, incorporating terms like 'dual carriageway', 'pedestrians only', and 'amenities'. However, there are numerous lexical and collocational errors throughout the text, such as 'diagrams illustrates', 'todays design preview', 'planned develpment', and 'at presents Islip town centre'. Repetition of phrases like 'todays' and 'planned design' limits the range of vocabulary. While meaning is generally conveyed, the frequent word-form and spelling errors keep the lexical score at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Overall, it is visible that the planned development area is bigger...' and 'School and housing is still in the same place like todays town.' However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring subject-verb agreement errors ('diagrams illustrates', 'School and housing is...'), missing prepositions, and awkward punctuation. Article usage is also problematic ('in planned design'). Because frequent errors occur in both simple and complex forms and can occasionally cause minor strain for the reader, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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