Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-24
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 following diagrams display the maps of a small town named Islip as of now while illustrating the plans for its development in the near future.
Overall, the centre of the town will be completely redesigned followed by a new road across the town. Furthermore, shops will be shifted to one side of the road while other side will contain other facilities.
Looking at the maps in more detail, new road will be build around the town including dual carriageway for faster and convinient travel while the street at the centre of the town will be limited to pedestrians only. Bus station, shopping centre and car park will be constructed by replacing all the shops at the northern side of the town. Two new housing are planned to be build inside the town's centre where one is planned to be built at the left side of the park and other is planned to be constructed at the north-east side of the map along the car park.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student successfully addresses the prompt by providing an overview of the changes in Islip and selecting key features for comparison, such as the new road layout, pedestrianisation, and the replacement of northern shops with a bus station, shopping centre, and car park. The overview captures the main developmental trends well. However, some details are slightly imprecise or under-developed—for example, mentioning 'two new housing' areas without fully detailing their positions in relation to existing structures. Overall, the response covers the key features required for a satisfactory Academic Task 1 response, earning a band score of 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The report features a coherent overall arrangement divided into a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and a detailed body paragraph. Logical progression is evident as the writer moves smoothly from general changes to specific spatial alterations. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Overall,' and 'Looking at the maps in more detail,' though referencing and paragraphing could be slightly more sophisticated. For instance, breaking the long body paragraph into two separate paragraphs would have improved readability. Paragraphing is adequate, but cohesion occasionally feels a bit mechanical.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common terms such as 'completely redesigned', 'pedestrians only', and 'dual carriageway'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including 'convinient' instead of 'convenient', 'build' instead of 'built' (verb form), and awkward phrasing like 'other side will contain other facilities' and 'along the car park'. These lexical errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Vocabulary control is sufficient for a band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The text displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and passive structures (e.g., 'will be completely redesigned', 'will be constructed'). However, there are several grammatical errors throughout the response, such as missing articles ('new road will be build', 'at left side'), incorrect verb forms ('will be build'), and prepositional inaccuracies ('at the northern side', 'along the car park'). While these errors occur fairly frequently, they rarely impede the reader's understanding. Control of grammar and punctuation corresponds to a solid band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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