Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-29
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 given maps depict the present Islip's town center and its future developmental plan.
Overall, town centre of Islip is small with few facilities, and its infrastructure will change in future by adding a new bus station, a car park, new houses and a dual carriageway.
According to the current map, a main road runs through the northern side of the town and there is seven shops are constructed on the both sides of the road. However, in future, shops which are in northern-side will be converted into a bus station, a shopping centre, a car park and a new housing project, and the main road will be replaced into pedestrians path. The shops in the southern-side of the main road will be remained the same in the future plan.
In the present map, there is a path which is diverted from western side of the road to the school which is situated in south side of the town. Similarly, an another path diverted from eastern side of the main road reach to south-east park. Both these paths will be reconstructed into a dual carriageway which will be connecting both north and south end of the town. New housing facilities will also be introduced near the park in the future map.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by presenting an overview of the main changes in Islip and reporting key features, such as the introduction of the dual carriageway and the conversion of shops into a bus station and shopping centre. The response includes clear comparisons between the present map and the future plans. However, there are minor inaccuracies in reading the visual data, such as stating 'there is seven shops are constructed' instead of two rows of shops, and describing the dual carriageway as replacing both side paths rather than forming a perimeter loop. Overall, the key spatial transformations are adequately covered, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 6.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged logically into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the northern and southern changes respectively. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the maps, such as 'Overall', 'According to the current map', and 'However'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different areas of the town. However, referencing and cohesive links are sometimes mechanical or repetitive, and sentences within paragraphs occasionally lack smooth transitions, leading to a Band 6 level of coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing maps and town planning, including terms such as 'developmental plan', 'infrastructure', 'converted', and 'reconstructed'. There are, however, several lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'present Islip's town center' (instead of 'the present town centre of Islip'), 'pedestrians path' (instead of 'pedestrianized path' or 'pedestrians-only area'), and 'an another path'. Despite these inaccuracies, communication is not impeded, placing the vocabulary in the Band 6 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('shops which are in northern-side') and conditional or future forms ('will be converted'). There are, nevertheless, frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles, plurals, and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'there is seven shops are constructed', 'the main road will be replaced into', and 'reach to south-east park'). While these errors do not impede overall comprehension, they prevent the text from achieving a higher band score due to reduced accuracy in complex forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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