Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-22

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 map illustrates the changes that took place in the centre of the small town named as lslip.

Overall, the town underwent significant development during the period. several new facilities were added while some existing areas were removed and by doing this the shape of the town was totally changed with the passage of time.

Firstly, the centre of the town was demolished and replaced with some new facilities like bus station and car park which gave a rounded shape to the town. Secondly, some new houses were also built in the east near to the park.

After that the main road and shops were demolished and replaced with shopping centre and new housing which is connected with the main road. before there were two shops in the town that replaced with a shopping centre and a shop. these all replacement provided a dual carriageway to the town which was not given to the town before.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to describe the changes shown in the maps of Islip, providing an overview and mentioning several key alterations such as the addition of a bus station, car park, shopping centre, and dual carriageway. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and a misinterpretation of time; the prompt depicts 'is now' and 'plans for its development' (future plans), whereas the student describes historical changes ('took place', 'were demolished'). Furthermore, important spatial details are vague or slightly inaccurate, and the description lacks a fully developed comparison between the two maps. Consequently, the response falls into Band 5 for addressing the task partially with some unclear or inaccurate reporting.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organised into multiple paragraphs, including an introduction and an overall summary. However, the logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and weak cohesive ties (e.g., 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'After that'). Paragraphing is somewhat basic, and referencing across sentences is occasionally confusing, such as in the final paragraph where the description of shops and new housing becomes muddled ('before there were two shops in the town that replaced with a shopping centre and a shop'). Overall cohesion is mechanical rather than smooth, placing this response firmly in Band 5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive ('demolished and replaced', 'new facilities', 'new houses'). There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as referring to future plans as historical events ('took place', 'were demolished') and awkward phrasing like 'gave a rounded shape to the town'. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey some features of the map, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands, matching the criteria for Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar and punctuation is weak. There are frequent punctuation and capitalisation errors (e.g., starting sentences with lowercase letters like 'several', 'before', 'these'), missing articles (e.g., 'replaced with shopping centre', 'provided dual carriageway'), and awkward passive constructions ('that replaced with'). Although meaning is mostly recoverable despite these errors, the high frequency of grammatical slips places the writing at Band 5.

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

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