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 given map show the centre of a small town known as Islip as it seem today and its development plan.
Overall, major infrastructure will be erected in terms of the dual carriageway,the walking zone, a car parking, new housing area and a bus station.
Generally, country side will be turned into a proper community centre.
Currently it has shops and a main road, after implementation of a developmental plan this town will have a bus station, car parking area, an established shopping centre. A specialized pedestrians zone will be allocated which ends at the new housing scheme.
Additionally, near the park another housing scheme will be launched just right after the old housing zone. Another, major infrastructure will have a dual carriageway which will be connected the whole town rather than a single main road . In spite of this major changes school and some school remains at the same place.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student addresses the task by identifying several main features of the current Islip town centre and the proposed developments, such as the dual carriageway, pedestrian zone, and new housing areas. An overview is attempted in the second and third sentences, outlining the general transformation. However, some details are imprecise or inaccurate; for instance, stating that the 'country side will be turned into a proper community centre' misreads the layout where the northern shops are replaced by a bus station, shopping centre, and car park, while the countryside lies beyond. Furthermore, the description misses key comparative spatial changes, such as the exact relocation of shops and the shrinking of the park. Consequently, ideas are somewhat limited and under-developed, placing the response at Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response exhibits some organization with an introductory sentence and an overall summary statement, followed by body details. However, overall progression is hindered by choppy, single-sentence paragraphs and weak cohesive ties. Phrases like 'Additionally' and 'In spite of this major changes' are used, but referencing and transitions between sentences can be mechanical or unclear (e.g., 'some school remains at the same place' is abrupt and confusingly phrased). Paragraphing is not fully developed to group related ideas effectively. Cohesion is sometimes faulty, which aligns the response with a Band 5.0 descriptor.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for a map task, using terms such as 'infrastructure', 'dual carriageway', 'specialized pedestrians zone', and 'housing scheme'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'country side' (written as two words), 'car parking' instead of 'car park', and awkward phrasing like 'walking zone'. There are also minor spelling and lexical inaccuracies that reflect a limited range, though communication is generally maintained. This performance fits Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response shows a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'after implementation of a developmental plan this town will have...' and 'Another, major infrastructure will have a dual carriageway which will be connected the whole town...'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring frequent errors such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The given map show', 'some school remains'), incorrect articles ('a car parking', 'the walking zone'), and awkward prepositions or passive voice errors ('which will be connected the whole town'). These persistent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 criteria.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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