Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The given map depicts the various changes to be implemented to the Islip town centre compared to its current state.It is evident that all the amendments will be made to develop the town centre to be more habitable and developed.
To begin with, it is noticeable that the location of the shops located south of the main road, the school, and the housing present at the south of the map will remain unchanged. Also, the park present at the south eastern side would remain unchanged with a minimal amount of reduction in area. The main road would be demolished and additional space would be created for a new housing block in the near future located north of the park. The housing present west of the park would have an extra housing block in the future present east of it and a new shopping strip would be opened north of the new housing block. There would also be an establishment of a pedestrian only walkway just north of the newly established shopping lane. The shops present towards the north of the map will be transformed into a bus station, a shopping centre and a car park. The establishment of a dual carriageway will be accomplished in the planned development plan which would enclose all important buildings. The development would be extended into the countryside to the north of the town centre providing extra land for future development. Overall, it becomes apparent that all the future developments are to be made for the betterment of the town centre.
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 successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of Islip's current layout and comparing them with the planned developments. Key transformations are identified, such as the replacement of northern shops with a bus station, shopping centre, and car park, the creation of a dual carriageway loop, and the pedestrianisation of the central road. However, there are minor inaccuracies in spatial reporting; for instance, the student states that the main road would be demolished, whereas the maps show it being converted into a pedestrian-only zone. Additionally, some descriptions of new housing locations are slightly confused. Despite these minor misreadings, an adequate overview is provided, and the key changes are sufficiently highlighted, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0 range, solidifying at Band 6.0 due to the misinterpretation of the main road.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into an introduction, a detailed body paragraph, and a concluding sentence, providing a coherent overall arrangement. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the map changes, using phrases such as "To begin with", "Also", and "There would also be". However, paragraphing could be improved by breaking down the dense body paragraph into smaller, logically grouped sections (e.g., separating the northern developments from the southern housing and infrastructure changes). Referencing is occasionally repetitive, and the progression could be smoother, but the logical sequence remains clear throughout.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a map-based Task 1 response, incorporating terms like "amendments", "pedestrian only walkway", "dual carriageway", and "countryside". There are some lexical inaccuracies and slightly awkward phrasing, such as "develop the town centre to be more habitable and developed" (repetitive use of developed) and "housing present west of the park would have an extra housing block in the future present east of it". Less common vocabulary is attempted with moderate success, but word choice errors prevent a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
A mix of simple and complex sentence structures is used throughout the response, including relative clauses and conditional-style projections (e.g., "The establishment of a dual carriageway will be accomplished in the planned development plan which would enclose all important buildings"). There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as missing punctuation after introductory clauses ("It is evident that..."), unnecessary words ("future present east of it"), and minor tense inconsistencies when describing future plans. However, these errors do not impede communication, and the sentence structures demonstrate a reasonable level of control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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