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 compares the present infra-structure of a center of a small town known as Islip, and further development plan.

Overall, it is clear that present main road is completely converted to duel carriageway in development plan, as well as northern shops replaced. Couple of new housing scheme introduced in plan.

To commence with, south side of map a new housing society will build along the park and pre existing housing. Subsequently, south sided shops remains same however, the main road will destruct to construct the walking track for pedestrians. Additionally, the shops next to it will demolish to introduce the bus station, shopping center and car park. A new housing scheme planned next to car park.

Furthermore, a dual carriage is significant part of renovation plan which encircle the whole center. Moreover, Park and housing colony at the south side stays same because they are not included in the reconstruction plan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response attempts to address all parts of the task by comparing the current map of Islip with the planned development. However, the coverage of main features is somewhat incomplete and partially under-developed. For instance, the writer mentions that the northern shops are replaced and a dual carriageway is added, but some key spatial relationships and descriptions are vague, such as referring to the new layout as 'a new housing society' or failing to clearly delineate the entire arrangement of the shopping centre, bus station, and car park. The overview is rather basic, outlining only a few general changes. To reach a higher level, the response needs to present a clearer, more fully developed overview of the major global shifts and provide a more precise account of all key spatial transformations shown on the maps.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic arrangement of information, with an attempt to group details into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, the overall progression lacks smooth flow, and the logical transition between sentences is sometimes mechanical or abrupt, such as the sudden shift initiated by 'To commence with'. Cohesive devices are used, but they are occasionally inaccurate or repetitive in function. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal structuring of the body paragraph mixes several distinct spatial areas without clear logical links. To improve, the writer should ensure a more seamless progression of ideas from one area of the town to another, using a wider variety of accurate cohesive devices and maintaining clear, logical signposting throughout the report.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, demonstrating an attempt to describe changes using words such as 'infra-structure', 'renovation', and 'demolish'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, including spelling mistakes like 'duel' instead of 'dual', word choice inaccuracies such as 'main road will destruct', and awkward phrasing like 'northern shops replaced'. These errors reflect a limited range and some lack of precision in word choice and collocation. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider and more precise range of vocabulary suitable for describing map changes, avoiding spelling slips and ensuring accurate word forms and collocations when discussing urban development.

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 marred by grammatical errors. There are frequent issues with articles, such as 'compares the present infra-structure of a center', missing prepositions, and awkward verb formations like 'a new housing society will build' instead of the passive voice 'will be built'. Punctuation and subject-verb agreement also show consistent errors that can cause some difficulty for the reader. To move up to the next band, the writer must demonstrate better control over a wider variety of complex grammatical structures, ensuring greater accuracy in verb tenses, voice, and articles while reducing the frequency of basic grammatical errors.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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