Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-01
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 illustrate the main area of a tiny city known as islip. One map illustrates the present condition and the other shows the development plan.
Overall, if we see the present town, It is unorganised with less connectivity, very less facilities and excessive number of shops. Whereas, The developed city is more organized , with much more connectivity and more facilities compared to the present condition.
The islip city current connectivity is very poor because of the presence of only one road with sub roads but these road aren't connected to housings. The excessive amount of shops are making the space congested.
On the other hand, the developed city have more connectivity because of their dual-carriage way. Sone shops has been deconstructed and the space is used for facilities like shopping centre,car park and bus station and a special place for residents to walk. The number of housings have been increased throughout the city to facilitate more people at a time.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the maps, including the addition of the dual carriageway, pedestrianised street, and new facilities. However, some parts are more fully developed than others, and certain details are generalised or slightly imprecise, such as describing the original town as having an 'excessive number of shops' rather than a standard commercial strip. An adequate overview is provided in the second paragraph, outlining the transition from an unorganised layout to a more connected and facilitated town centre. To reach higher bands, the writer would need to extend the discussion of specific spatial changes with greater precision and data coverage.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt at paragraphing, separating the introduction, overview, and specific body paragraphs. Information is generally presented in a logical sequence, moving from general observations to specific modifications. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in expressions like 'if we see the present town' and repetitive transitional phrases. Paragraphing could be managed more effectively by ensuring each body paragraph focuses on a distinct geographical sector or transformation theme rather than mixing transport and land-use changes together.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic comparisons between the two maps. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary such as 'deconstructed', 'congested', and 'connectivity', though some word choices and collocations are unnatural or inaccurate, such as 'tiny city known as islip' and 'dual-carriage way'. Additionally, there are minor lexical inaccuracies and punctuation/capitalisation slips like 'islip' and 'Sone shops'. To improve, the writer should focus on precise phrasing and appropriate collocation for geographical and town planning contexts.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response exhibits a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, though control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors regarding subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'the developed city have more connectivity' and 'the Islip city current connectivity'. Furthermore, sentence structures occasionally contain awkward phrasing or punctuation errors, like comma splices and uncapitalised proper nouns. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to restrict the score, pointing to a need for closer attention to basic grammatical rules and complex sentence construction.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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