Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
The two maps demonstrate the centre of a small town called Islip at present day, and plans for its future development.
Overall, the appriceable change is dual carriageway will be constructed. Countryside will be more furnished with the addition of several features. By contrast, new housing will be added adjacent to a park.
At present day Islip town, a countryside is present to the north of the centre. Shops are present to the both sides of the main road. A school is present to the outskirt of the town centre. A park is loacted to the east of the town centre. One housing is present at centre and the other is present just opposite to the school.
In planned development, the most noticeable feature is dual carriageway will be constructed. A countryside will be converted into several features, a bus stop, a shopping centre, a car park and a new housing will be added. Main road will be repleced by pedestrians only and shops will be stayed same oppostie the pedestrians only. Following this, a park, a school and housing will be remained same. A new housing located adjacent to a park.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student covers most of the key features shown in the two maps, successfully noting the addition of the dual carriageway, the transformation of the northern area into a bus station, shopping centre, and car park, and the pedestrianisation of the central street. However, some descriptions are imprecise or factually incorrect based on the visual data. For instance, the student states that 'Country side will be converted into several features, a bus stop, a shopping centre, a car park and a new housing will be added,' whereas the countryside is actually located further north and the new developments occupy the site of the former northern shops. Additionally, the overview is rather simplistic. This places the response in Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text is divided into logical paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by an overview, a description of the present layout, and finally the planned developments. However, overall progression is somewhat disjointed due to repetitive phrasing, such as starting multiple sentences with 'is present' or 'is located'. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate, as seen in 'One housing is present at centre and the other is present just opposite to the school.' Paragraphing is used, but the internal cohesion requires better linking expressions to guide the reader smoothly between spatial comparisons. This performance aligns with Band 5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with frequent lexical errors and inappropriate word choices. For example, the student writes 'appriceable change' instead of noticeable or appreciable, 'outskirt' instead of outskirts, and 'repleced' with a spelling error. Phrases like 'Country side will be more furnished' and 'shops will be stayed same' demonstrate a lack of control over standard collocations and word forms. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey basic ideas about the maps, the numerous inaccuracies restrict the score to Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple subject-verb-complement sentences (e.g., 'A school is present to the outskirt of the town centre'). Attempts at passive voice or complex structures are frequently faulty, such as 'dual carriageway will be constructed' lacking an article, and 'housing will be remained same.' Punctuation and articles are frequently misused or omitted throughout the text ('at present day Islip town', 'a countryside'). Due to frequent grammatical errors and a lack of complex sentence variety, this falls under Band 5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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