Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-30
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 depict the layout of Islip town centre at present and how it will look in the future after the planned developments.
Overall, the town is expected to undergo several major changes, including the addition of new facilities such as the dual carriageway, bus station, shopping centre, and car park. However, some existing features, such as school, and housing are expected to remain unchanged.
After analysis the maps, at present, the town has a park in the southeast, while there are a vast area for housing in the middle and south. However, a countryside area is located to the north side, and shops are presented just under the countryside and main road is in the center between
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
The response is significantly under-length, containing only 119 words, which fails to meet the 150-word minimum requirement. This incurs a natural penalty under Task Achievement. On a content level, the student attempts an overview and mentions several key features such as the dual carriageway, bus station, shopping centre, and car park. However, the description is cut off mid-sentence at the end of the second body paragraph ('...between'), meaning the development of ideas is incomplete and crucial spatial relationships and comparisons are missing.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay begins with an appropriate introductory sentence and a clear overall summary statement ('Overall, the town is expected to undergo several major changes...'). Paragraphing is attempted, but because the text trails off abruptly at the end, the overall structural progression is disrupted. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well in the opening sections ('Overall', 'However', 'at present'), but referencing and logical flow break down by the final unfinished sentence.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for describing maps, featuring relevant terms such as 'layout', 'facilities', 'dual carriageway', and 'unchanged'. There are some awkward phrasings like 'After analysis the maps' instead of 'Analysing the maps', and 'there are a vast area' (subject-verb agreement error with a singular/plural mismatch). However, the range of words attempted demonstrates a fair foundation, though it is limited by the short length of the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as introductory subordinate clauses ('After analysis the maps, at present, the town has...'). Grammatical errors include a dangling modifier in 'After analysis the maps', agreement issues in 'there are a vast area', and missing articles ('such as school'). The most critical grammatical issue is that the response is incomplete, ending abruptly in the middle of a sentence, which heavily impacts structural control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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