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 two maps below illustrates the centre of a small town named Isipl. The first map describes current layout of the town whereas, the second one explain the planning of urbanization and modification of Islip town in the future.
Overall, In upcoming planning there is significant changes design in the map. The second layout is totally different from previous one. There is addition of new services and facilities in the town for the Citizens. Bus station, new housing and car park services were planned in the development.
In addition to this, In the south of the planned map layout Dual carriageway is introduce. Furthermore, In the east of the map new roads were planned compared to current map there is school, housing and park in the east. In the planned layout shopping centre was accounted for the highest whereas park was proportion for smallest. However, In the current map of Islip town park has much bigger area.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the task partially and attempts to report the main features of the maps, such as the introduction of a dual carriageway and a shopping centre. However, some of the information is inaccurate or confusingly stated, such as claiming that 'in the planned layout shopping centre was accounted for the highest whereas park was proportion for smallest' and misrepresenting the east side of the town. While an overview is attempted, key details are under-developed or poorly selected, preventing the response from achieving a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text demonstrates some organization with basic paragraphing and introductory and concluding remarks, but there is no clear overall progression of information. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or repetitively, as seen with phrases like 'whereas, the second one explain' and 'In addition to this, In the south...'. Referencing between sentences is sometimes unclear, and the mechanical transitions detract from the logical flow of the comparisons.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task, with noticeable errors in word choice and form, such as 'Isipl' for Islip, 'planning of urbanization', and 'proportion for smallest'. There are attempts to use less common items like 'urbanization' and 'modification', but these are often used unnaturally or with spelling and collocation errors that cause some difficulty for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response relies on a limited range of sentence structures, and attempts at more complex sentences are frequently faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The two maps below illustrates', 'there is significant changes'), missing articles ('in future', 'in east'), and incorrect prepositions ('in the south of the planned map layout'). These errors cause occasional difficulty and distraction for the reader.
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