Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-25
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 4.5)
The maps illustrate the centre of a small town called Islip as it is now, and plans for its development.
Overall , planned for development; which will be split main road which surrounding whole town and north side shops will have been replace with other facilities. school and housing out side of surrounding area.
Aslip town centre now, main road is connect west to east with both sides are cover with shops, housings are on a south side of shops and countryside is on north side of shops. Main road has curve road on south-west side which connect to the school and on other side road which connect to park.
Proposed planned for development; which will be split the main road in two parts one which one on north side and another dual carriageway on south side which surrounding whole town without schooling and out side housing. Inside main road will be replace into pedestrian path , bus station, shopping centre car park and new housing will have been on north side of pedestrians path. south side shops in front of pedestrians path remain unchanged. Inside root will be built south east side which connect town to the road.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the task by describing the current layout of Islip and the proposed developments. While some main features are captured, such as the pedestrianisation of the central street and the introduction of a dual carriageway and a bus station, the response contains significant mechanical descriptions and inaccuracies. For example, stating that the 'main road surrounding whole town' and misinterpreting the peripheral road layout reflect a limited overview. Furthermore, the overview attempted in the second paragraph is fragmented and unclear. Ideas are somewhat underdeveloped due to dense, broken phrasing, preventing the response from reaching a higher band. It satisfies the basic requirements of comparing the maps but lacks a fully cohesive, well-developed selection of features.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The organizational structure of the response is heavily compromised by severe punctuation and formatting issues. The text is broken into very short, disjointed sections and single-sentence paragraphs rather than a logical essay structure. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, with repetitive transitional phrases like 'Aslip town centre now' and 'Proposed planned for development' functioning awkwardly as headings rather than flowing sentence connectors. Paragraphing is inappropriate, making it difficult to follow a clear logical progression throughout the description. Referencing between the current state and the future plans is often ambiguous, leading to a confusing reading experience.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently relying on direct lifting from the prompt (e.g., 'town centre', 'housing', 'shops', 'school'). There are numerous word choice and word formation errors, such as 'proposed planned', 'out side', 'root' instead of 'route', and 'cover with shops'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary result in unnatural collocations or ungrammatical forms. Lexical control is weak, and spelling errors occur throughout the text (e.g., 'Aslip'). The range of vocabulary is barely adequate to communicate the basic features of the maps, restricting the score to this band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0
Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The text is characterized by a high frequency of major grammatical errors, including sentence fragments, run-on structures, and severe subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'housings are on a south side', 'main road is connect'). There is a lack of accurate complex structures, and attempts at subordination or passive voice result in ungrammatical formulations (e.g., 'shops will have been replace with other facilities', 'which will be split main road'). Punctuation is also poorly handled, with misplaced commas and missing terminal punctuation in places. Errors constantly impede communication and require the reader to decode the intended meaning.
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