Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The map elucidates the centre of a small town called islip which shows the current layout and proposed changes to develope the area.

Overall, the town centre is planned to undergo redevelopment.The main road is replaced by a carriageway.School and shops remain in the same position.Whereas new hosuing, car park ,shopping centre and bus station are introduced.

It is pellucid that the direction of the roads are from west to east in both the layouts. Roads are replaced by the dual carriageway and pedestrians crosiing are included in proposed layout. The existing shops will remain, but a new shopping centre will be constructed in the northern part of the area. A bus station and car park will also be added.

Moving further, housing occupies the central and southern parts of the town, while there is countryside to the north, a park in the east and a school in the south-west. Under the new plan, the countryside will be developed, with new housing in the north-east and south-central areas. The park will remain in the eastern part, although its position will be adjusted. The school will stay in the south-west, with the surrounding road layout being changed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by comparing the two maps of Islip town centre, highlighting key changes and features. The overview paragraph captures the essence of the proposed redevelopment, noting that the main road becomes a pedestrianized street and dual carriageway loop, while features like the school and some shops remain. However, there are minor inaccuracies in reporting the spatial arrangement, such as stating the countryside is in the north when the new plan shows new housing replacing the northern area, and minor confusion over road layouts. Overall, the main features are adequately selected, meeting the requirements of a Band 6.5 or solid 6.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introduction, moves to an overview paragraph, and then follows up with detailed comparisons in subsequent paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Overall', 'It is pellucid that', and 'Moving further', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced (e.g., 'It is pellucid that'). Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the maps. Referencing is mostly clear, though occasional slight mechanical phrasing holds the score back from the higher bands.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully using terms like 'redevelopment', 'pedestrianized', 'dual carriageway', and 'constructed'. However, there are some spelling errors ('islip' instead of Islip, 'develope', 'hosuing', 'crosiing') and awkward word choices ('It is pellucid that'). Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success. The range is sufficient to communicate the main features clearly, but errors in spelling and word form prevent it from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The map elucidates the centre... which shows...' and 'Under the new plan, the countryside will be developed...'. There are several grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the response, including missing capitalisation ('islip'), missing articles or spacing issues ('car park ,shopping centre'), and occasional punctuation flaws (extra spaces, missing commas). Despite these errors, the structures are generally understandable and do not impede overall communication.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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