Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-27
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 maps illustrates the current layout of Islip town centre and the proposed redevelopment plan.
Overall, the town centre is expected to modernization. The most significant changes including the construction of a dual carrigway around the centre, replacement of some shops with new facilities such as a bus station, shopping centre and car park , and addition of new housing area.
At the present, a main road runs east to west through the town centre, with rows of shops located on both sides. The countryside lies to North of the road,while housing at southern areas. A school is situated in the southern corner and a park is located to the eastern corner.
Under proposed plan, the replaced the .ain road will be converted into a pedestrian only. The northern row shops will be removed and replaced by a bus station on the west side, shopping centre in the middle, a car park to the east. New housing will also be built in the northeast part of town centre. A major feature will be a dual carrigway forming around the centre area and connecting with the existing road at both side.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the current Islip town centre and the proposed development plan. An adequate overview is provided at the beginning, noting the general modernization and key additions such as the dual carriageway and new facilities. The student accurately highlights major changes, such as the replacement of northern shops with a bus station, shopping centre, and car park, the pedestrianisation of the main road, and the creation of new housing areas. However, there are minor omissions and slightly imprecise descriptions of locations (e.g., 'housing at southern areas' rather than describing the relative positions clearly). Despite these minor flaws, the response fully addresses the prompt requirements and provides clear, supported comparisons.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged coherently with a logical overall progression from the introduction to the overview, the current layout, and finally the future plan. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different sections of the maps. However, cohesive devices are sometimes faulty or mechanical, and referencing is occasionally unclear (e.g., 'Under proposed plan, the replaced the .ain road will be converted into a pedestrian only'). Transitional phrases are basic, but the overall progression of information remains easy to follow, supporting a clear comparison between the two maps.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common terms such as 'redevelopment plan', 'modernization', and 'pedestrian only'. However, there are several noticeable lexical errors, awkward word choices, and typos throughout the text, such as 'carrigway' instead of 'carriageway', 'The maps illustrates' (subject-verb agreement), and incomplete phrases like 'the replaced the .ain road'. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they reflect a lack of precision that prevents the response from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The most significant changes including the construction...' (which contains a grammatical error, using a participle instead of a main verb). There are frequent minor grammatical and punctuation errors, including missing articles (e.g., 'to North of the road', 'to the eastern corner') and prepositions. While some sentences are accurate and comprehensible, the accumulation of grammatical slips in basic structures pulls the score down to a 5.5, indicating that control over complex structures remains inconsistent.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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