Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-23
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)
In the picture, we can clearly see the center of a small town named Islip as it is now, and plans for its development. Their is a comparison between current and the future Islip overview. In the current Islip town we can see the unstructured map we can can see unsorted things without any proper arrangements. Like we can see countryside, shops, main road in the center, some other shops on the opposite direction of the road, housing area, part and a school.
On the future view of the Islip, we can easily see each and everything sorted in planed development. Like we can see Bus station, shopping center, car park, new housing, pedestrains area, shops, park, school and proper roads with dual carriageway.
In conclusion, we can clearly see the planed and sorted way of development for the prople of Islip.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
The student attempts to describe the two maps of Islip, mentioning several key features such as the bus station, shopping centre, and dual carriageway. However, the response falls significantly short of the 150-word minimum requirement, containing only 142 words, which incurs a mandatory penalty on Task Achievement. Furthermore, the analysis is very superficial and subjective rather than objective and analytical. Expressions like 'unsorted things without any proper arrangements' and 'each and everything sorted' lack precise cartographic reporting and fail to make meaningful, structured comparisons between the current layout and the proposed developments. Key spatial relationships, such as the northern and southern locations of shops and the exact positioning of the new housing areas, are only vaguely touched upon, keeping this performance at a Band 4.5 level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text is divided into four very short paragraphs, including a brief introduction and a conclusion. However, the overall organizational structure is weak and lacks a clear, logical progression. Cohesive devices are repetitive and basic, relying heavily on conversational phrases like 'In the picture, we can clearly see' and 'Like we can see'. Paragraphing is inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 response, as the body paragraphs merely list scattered observations rather than grouping features logically (e.g., transport changes vs. residential changes). Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the mechanical repetition of sentence openings ('Like we can see...') disrupts the flow of the text. Overall, these limitations place the response firmly in the Band 5.0 range.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently relying on everyday conversational language rather than precise academic terminology suited for map analysis. Words like 'things', 'picture', and 'sorted' are inappropriate for describing urban planning changes. There are also spelling errors, such as 'planed' instead of 'planned' and 'pedestrians' spelled as 'pedestrains', as well as grammatical word-form errors like 'prople' instead of 'people'. The student attempts some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'dual carriageway', 'bus station', and 'shopping centre', but the overall lexical range is narrow and inadequate for a higher band, reflecting the descriptors for Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures. Most sentences are simple or poorly constructed complex structures, often marred by punctuation and agreement errors. For instance, the student writes 'Their is a comparison', confusing 'Their' with 'There', and produces run-on structures like 'In the current Islip town we can see the unstructured map we can can see unsorted things...' which contain stuttering repetitions. While simple sentences are generally understandable, attempts at longer sentences lead to noticeable errors and awkward phrasing. Because the grammatical control is restricted and frequent basic errors occur, the performance aligns with Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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