Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The maps shows the development of small islip town center. Overall, a well development plan can be seen, which includes a systematic arrangement of all the shops, housing areas, and other aminities.
On the north side, at present center has shops ahead of main road and as ell as behind the main road, which will be developed and shops will be in the center and road is around the all facilities. Moreover, a shoping center, a car parking area and a bus station will develop as per map shows.
At the south of the center, school and park area remains at the same position in the future planned development of Islip town center. However, park area will be covered in side of new constucted road which looks attrective. Furthermore, currently center has tow housing areas which will developed in three housing area and newly added housing area is nearby to the park.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to address the task by describing the current layout of Islip and the proposed developments. An overview is attempted in the introduction, mentioning a well-developed plan with a systematic arrangement. Key features such as the pedestrianisation of the central street, the addition of a dual carriageway loop, and changes to the shops and housing are mentioned. However, the response is relatively brief and some details are imprecise or vague, such as stating that 'shops will be in the center and road is around the all facilities.' The overall summary is basic and lacks full development of all comparisons, aligning with a Band 5.5 to 6.0 level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text is divided into three paragraphs, providing a basic organizational structure with an introduction and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'On the north side', 'Moreover', and 'However'. However, some referencing is unclear or clumsy, such as 'park area will be covered in side of new constucted road which looks attrective' (introducing subjective commentary). Paragraphing is somewhat basic, but the overall arrangement demonstrates a coherent progression of information, fitting the Band 6 descriptor.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with attempts at less common words and phrases such as 'systematic arrangement', 'pedestrian development', and 'newly added housing area'. However, there are numerous lexical and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'aminities' instead of amenities, 'shoping' instead of shopping, 'attrective' instead of attractive, and 'constucted' instead of constructed. These errors reflect a Band 5.0 level for lexical resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and conditional-like descriptions ('which includes a systematic arrangement', 'which will be developed and shops will be in the center'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'The maps shows' (subject-verb agreement), 'at present center has shops', and 'tow housing areas which will developed in three housing area' (passive voice and pluralisation errors). These persistent errors place the grammar score at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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