Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
The map illustrate a small town name islip current condition and plans for its development.
Overall, the idea to develop islip town is to transformed completely with better facilities for their residents. Some housing and shops are still at the same place.whereas, new shopping centre, bus station, car park newly included.
In the first image the town features some shops and main road in the middle. Housing covers large area in the south and in the center. East side there is a park and west side there is school.
The develpoment plan for town is totally change. In the north countryside and shops repleced wih shopping centre, bus station, car park, new housing. Main road also transformed with pedestrains crossing only. Some shops are still there in the centre of image. In the south east side new housing with park and the west side is housing is almost same as before. School and some housing relocated to out side of the dual carriageway.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student attempts to address the task by summarizing the main features of the current map of Islip and the proposed development plan. An overview is provided, noting overall changes such as improved facilities and pedestrianization. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and omissions regarding spatial relationships and specific features. For example, the student states that the school and housing are relocated to the outside of the dual carriageway in the south, whereas the transcript and map show the school was already outside in the original map and remains there, while new housing is inside the loop. Furthermore, the description lacks sufficient detail regarding the layout of the new commercial area (bus station, shopping centre, car park). Consequently, the task is addressed only partially, corresponding to a Band 5.5 descriptor.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text is divided into four paragraphs, which provides a basic structural framework. There is a general attempt at organization, moving from an introduction and overview to specific details of the current map and then the development plan. However, progression is somewhat disjointed due to abrupt transitions and poor sentence linking. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate, such as 'whereas, new shopping centre...' where punctuation and transitional logic fail. Paragraphing is also erratic, with the body paragraphs mixing distinct spatial areas without clear logical sequencing. These issues place the response firmly at Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The lexical range is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic vocabulary directly lifted from the prompt (e.g., 'shops', 'housing', 'park', 'school', 'car park'). There are noticeable word-choice and word-formation errors, such as 'The map illustrate' instead of 'illustrates', 'islip town name islip current condition' instead of 'Islip's current condition', and 'repleced wih' (spelling error). The attempt at less common vocabulary results in awkward phrasing like 'transformed completely with better facilities'. While the meaning is generally communicated, the persistent lexical and spelling errors restrict the score to Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer uses a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentences, but grammatical control is weak throughout. There are frequent basic errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The map illustrate'), missing articles ('in east side', 'to out side'), and incorrect verb forms ('is to transformed completely', 'repleced wih'). Punctuation is also problematic, with sentences starting with lowercase letters or lacking proper terminal punctuation and spacing. Because frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and complex structures are consistently faulty, this 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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