Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-04
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 illustrate the developmental plans of a small town centre named as lslip.
First of all, there will be significantly change in the map of town.The location will become more vast and specious.The dual carriageway that stops at school, will cover all the area of small town in circular way.The main road will be converted for pedestrians only.The shops located in the north, will be expanded into shopping centre while the shops on the east sides will remain same.
Than, the bus station will be constructed on the west side shopping centre.The size of parking area will be reduced to make more space for new housing.A new housing scheme will be introduced on the northeast side.The location of school will not be changed.
Overall, the lslip town centre future plan show great development by introduction of new buildings such as shopping centre, bus station and new residential areas.
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 covers the main features of the maps, such as the addition of the dual carriageway, the pedestrianisation of the main road, and the conversion of northern shops into a shopping centre and bus station. However, some parts of the task are only partially addressed or contain inaccuracies, such as stating that the shops on the east sides will remain the same when the plans actually show housing and a reduced park in the east. The overview at the end captures the general transformation, but the overall development of ideas remains limited and somewhat repetitive.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text exhibits some organisation with an introduction, body details, and an overall concluding sentence, but it lacks a clear, smooth overall progression. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and sometimes inaccurately, such as the abrupt transition 'Than,' and repetitive referencing. Paragraphing is attempted, but the logical sequencing between sentences within paragraphs could be improved to make the comparison between the current layout and the proposed developments flow more naturally.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, with simple terms like 'small town centre', 'shops', and 'bus station'. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'significantly change' instead of 'significant change', 'more vast and specious' instead of 'more spacious', and spelling errors such as 'lslip' instead of 'Islip'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are constrained by these inaccuracies, which occasionally cause slight hesitation for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writing relies on a limited range of sentence structures, and attempts at more complex sentences frequently result in grammatical errors. There are frequent errors in verb forms, articles, and prepositions, such as 'will be significantly change', 'in circular way', 'on the west side shopping centre', and missing articles before nouns like 'school'. Punctuation and spacing issues also occur, such as missing spaces after periods. These frequent errors require the reader to occasionally puzzle over the meaning.
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