Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
the maps illustrate about islip town what it looks like now and how it looks after planned developments.
Overall, there is a several changes occurs in the center of the town the most noticeable one is car park and bus station also replace shops and make a amazing shopping center and the biggest change is to create roads around the center of city.
most incredible change happen in the city to plan all roads in the outer sides of the center but replacing countryside while shops are replaced by shopping center and car park which is west of the city center but there is bus station which located in north west of the city there is new housing society in place of shops just beside road in north east
some places are still same like pedestrians road which previously used as main road also the shops in the south of the of that road are still there although there is a noticeable change in park area which now decrease whereas the old housing moved infront of school and new housing creates in the side of park and another housing slightly move down in the side of school and new road in addition dual carriageway created in the north west side of school which means school still located in the previous location
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the task partially by identifying several major changes between the two maps, such as the addition of the dual carriageway loop, the bus station, and the shopping centre. However, the position and description of some details are unclear or inaccurate, such as stating that 'old housing moved infront of school'. The overview attempts to capture the general transformation, but the ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed. To reach a higher level, the student needs to select and report the main features more accurately and provide a clearer, more fully developed overview without confusing specific spatial relationships.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
There is some basic organisation in the response, but it lacks a clear overall progression. The essay is divided into an introduction and body paragraphs, but sentences within the body paragraphs run together as massive, unstructured blocks of text without proper punctuation or sentence breaks. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, and occasionally inaccurate, leading to a mechanical feel. For instance, the overuse of connectors like 'which' and 'and' creates run-on sentences that obscure the logical relationship between ideas. Improving paragraphing and using a wider range of accurate cohesive ties would significantly enhance readability.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task, with simple terms like 'shops', 'park', and 'school'. There are noticeable lexical errors, such as 'creates in the side of park' instead of 'created', and awkward phrasing like 'housing society'. Spelling is generally acceptable for common words, but word choice lacks precision and flexibility. To improve, the student should incorporate a wider range of appropriate town-planning vocabulary and ensure correct word forms and collocations when describing spatial changes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The writer uses a very limited range of structures and struggles with basic sentence boundaries, relying heavily on run-on sentences joined by conjunctions. There are frequent errors in verb tenses, articles, and prepositions, such as 'there is a several changes occurs' and 'in the side of school'. Attempts at complex structures are often faulty, and punctuation is largely absent, which causes difficulty and confusion for the reader. To progress, the student must focus on basic grammatical accuracy, correct subject-verb agreement, and proper punctuation to separate distinct ideas.
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