Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-19

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 two maps compare the current layout of Islip town centre, with the planned development layout.

Overall, the town centre has planned substantial redevelopment, with several new facilitues created, and the road being significantly altered and constructed a new one with double lanes. The shops in the north divided into use for multiple purposes. Meanwhile, the school and housing remained unchanged in the south side.

Turning to the northern part of the town, the countryside area was repurposed to include a dual carriageway road. In addition, the merged shops divided into blocks to include a bus station, shopping centre, and a car park. The road previously named as main road turned to pedestrians road only. Moreover, new housing created in the north-east direction.

In the southern area, the significant area of housing divided into new housing. The park area remained at the similar place in the planned development. Furthermore, the whole planned development of the town centre covered with two lanes of the highway.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by comparing the current map of Islip town centre with the proposed development plans. The student provides a clear overview outlining the main changes, such as the redevelopment of roads and the repurposing of commercial and residential areas. Specific features are reported, including the addition of the dual carriageway, the pedestrianisation of the central street, and the replacement of northern shops with a bus station, shopping centre, and car park. However, there are minor misreadings or imprecise expressions, such as stating that the countryside was repurposed into the dual carriageway when the dual carriageway loops around the town centre, and claiming that the southern housing area was divided into new housing. Despite these minor points, the selection of main features is sound and an adequate overview is provided, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The text is logically organised with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph, provides an overview, and then logically divides the body paragraphs into northern and southern sections of the town. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the comparison, such as 'Overall', 'Turning to the northern part', and 'In the southern area'. However, some referencing is slightly faulty or mechanical, such as 'the road being significantly altered and constructed a new one with double lanes', which disrupts the flow of information. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs, supporting a coherent overall arrangement that fits Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms like 'redevelopment', 'repurposed', 'pedestrianised' (implied by 'pedestrians road only'), and 'dual carriageway'. There are several attempts to use less common vocabulary, but these are occasionally accompanied by inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'facilitues' (spelling error), 'constructed a new one with double lanes', and 'the merged shops divided into blocks'. Furthermore, 'pedestrians road only' is an awkward phrasal construction. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main message without impeding communication, matching the criteria for Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The two maps compare the current layout of Islip town centre, with the planned development layout' and 'Although the town centre has planned substantial redevelopment...'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, including 'the town centre has planned substantial redevelopment' (passive voice needed), 'and constructed a new one with double lanes', 'the road previously named as main road turned to pedestrians road only', and 'the park area remained at the similar place'. Punctuation and verb tense consistency also show minor flaws. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the writing from reaching Band 7.

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

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