Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-05

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 two maps illustrates the changes of Islip town centre between the present day and the future.

Overall, the town centre looks very simple now but in the future there is a lot of changes occur and different types of new things are builded.

Now there is one main road between the shops and besides the shops there is countryside area in one side and the another side there is the housing. In the southeast side there is school and there is also a small park.

After in the planned development centre main road is replaced by the Dual carriageway and inside this most of the places are build. New house are build and the number of the shops are decreased and Bus station, shoppingcentre and cark park are also there but this is only for the Pedestrians. School and housing are at the outside of the way.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response is slightly below the minimum word count requirement, falling short by a couple of words at 148. While the student attempts to summarise the main features of the maps, the information is presented in a very basic and partially developed manner. Key features such as the bus station, shopping centre, and car park are mentioned, but the spatial relationships and overall transformation are not clearly or fully reported. For instance, stating that the main road is replaced by a dual carriageway and that 'this is only for the Pedestrians' contains factual confusion about which road is pedestrianised versus which forms the outer loop. Ideas are limited and under-developed, meaning the task is only partially addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organisation with an introduction, body sentences, and an overview paragraph, but there is no clear overall progression guiding the reader smoothly through the spatial changes. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, or inaccurate, such as using 'Now' and 'After in the planned development centre' to transition between ideas. Paragraphing is attempted, but sentences lack smooth logical links and referencing is occasionally unclear, making the progression somewhat disjointed rather than naturally sequenced.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, restricted mostly to basic terms found in the prompt such as 'town centre', 'shops', 'housing', 'school', and 'park'. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'builded' (instead of built), 'countryside area', and 'cark park' (spelling slip). The range is minimally adequate to convey basic concepts, but frequent inaccuracies and a lack of less common or precise vocabulary prevent the response from achieving a higher level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic active forms. Attempts at more complex structures or passive forms result in frequent grammatical errors, such as 'The two maps illustrates' (subject-verb agreement), 'there is a lot of changes occur' (tense and clause structure), 'new things are builded' (incorrect passive verb form), and 'New house are build' (pluralisation and verb form). These frequent errors in grammar and morphology cause some difficulty for the reader and show restricted control.

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

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