Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-21
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 first map shows the islip town centre’s current situation where there is a main road and some shops on the sides of the road also besides the shops on one side there’s country side and on the other side is located a housing a school building is also there amd it also includes a park it seems that it’s not developed as much as it should be because it’s a nice area and more developments could be made in this town so keeping that in sight the other map is given which shows the development that is planned for islip town im next some time the main road is developed from the only one simple main road in which the drivers may feel difficulties in driving due to less area and more traffic to a dual carriageway and the place where there was main road is changed to pedestrians crossing which was not available back in time because of which the pedestrian may feel difficulty in crossing the road and the housing is expanded giving more area for people to make their houses the school building is expanded too which is refreshing and entertaining for students.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to describe both maps of Islip town centre, mentioning features such as the main road, shops, countryside, housing, school, and park, as well as the planned developments like the dual carriageway and pedestrian area. However, the response includes inappropriate personal opinions and commentary, such as stating 'it seems that it’s not developed as much as it should be' and that the expansion of the school is 'refreshing and entertaining', which is not appropriate for an academic task report. Furthermore, key details are missed or inaccurate, and the description lacks a clear overview of the overall changes. Consequently, it achieves a band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text suffers significantly from a lack of proper punctuation, consisting essentially of two extremely long, run-on sentences that make the logical progression very difficult to follow. Paragraphing is entirely absent, as the whole response is written as a single block of text. Cohesive devices are minimal and repetitive (e.g., 'also', 'and', 'which'), and referencing is often unclear. Although the ideas are presented in a sequential order moving from the current map to the future plan, the structural flaws place this criterion firmly at band 4.5, rounded to 5.0 for minimal acceptable organization.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, relying heavily on words directly copied from the prompt or overly simplistic phrasing such as 'nice area', 'more developments', and 'simple main road'. There are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'pedestrians crossing' instead of 'pedestrian precinct' or 'pedestrianised zone'. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey basic descriptions, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands, corresponding to a band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The grammatical structure is severely hindered by a complete lack of punctuation and capitalization throughout the entire response. The text relies on endless coordination using conjunctions like 'and', resulting in massive run-on sentences rather than a controlled mix of simple and complex structures. While there are some attempts at complex clauses (e.g., 'where there was main road is changed to...'), grammatical accuracy is low due to missing periods, commas, and capital letters, alongside minor errors like 'islip' and 'amd'. This performance aligns with a band 4.5, rounded to 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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