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)
There are two different maps given of Islip.It is a small town first map shows its current situation.There is shops with main road between them.In north of shops there is countryside and south is housing.There are many other features also like park on east of housing and school on west of housing.There is so much free space and the town is not structured,developed and build properly and correctly.It need some improvements,which is shown in graph two:The Planned Development.
There is certain addition in map two.First there is a circular road which connects side of housing scheme and countryside named as dual carriageway.There is also addition of bus station in west of shopping center.There is addition of car park in east of shopping center and a new housing is also introduced.There is also addition of school near dual carriageway that is very useful for citizens.The planned development of Islip Town is impressive and well structure.
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 response attempts to describe the two maps of Islip, covering some of the main features such as the shops, housing, countryside, and the new developments like the dual carriageway and shopping centre. However, there are notable inaccuracies and omissions in reporting the data. For instance, the student states that a 'school' is added near the dual carriageway in map two, which contradicts the visual data showing the school remaining outside the loop to the south. Furthermore, personal opinions and evaluations are inappropriately injected into an academic task response, such as claiming the town is not structured properly or that the development is 'impressive'. The overview lacks a clear summary of the overall spatial transformation. Consequently, the performance aligns best with Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text is divided into two paragraphs, separating the current situation from the planned development. However, the logical progression is hindered by poor sentence-level linking and repetitive phrasing, such as starting multiple consecutive sentences with 'There is also addition of'. Cohesive devices are minimal, mechanical, and sometimes inaccurate, such as 'In north of shops' and 'south is housing', where prepositions and articles are missing. Referencing between sentences is occasionally unclear. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion requires better management and a wider variety of transition markers to guide the reader smoothly through the spatial comparisons. This performance fits the Band 5 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently relying on simple terms like 'shops', 'housing', 'map', and 'addition'. There are numerous word choice and collocation issues, such as 'structured,developed and build properly' and 'certain addition in map two'. Spelling and word formation errors also appear, including 'build' instead of 'built'. The range of vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate for attempting the task, but lacks the precision, flexibility, and less common lexical items required for higher bands. Therefore, a Band 5 is appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response features a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and existential 'There is' constructions. Attempts at more complex structures are either absent or faulty, marked by persistent grammatical errors. Common errors include missing articles ('There is shops', 'in west of shopping center'), incorrect prepositions ('In north of shops'), subject-verb agreement issues ('It need some improvements'), and punctuation/spacing flaws (missing spaces after periods). These frequent errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader and reflect a restricted grammatical range, matching the Band 5 criteria.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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