Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-06
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)
This are maps of the Islip town center showing future development of town center which is absolutly well designing outlate. Overall, concreat area will be increase in future plan and all the buldings will be cover by dual carriageway road.
In the middle of the Isliptown center there are some shopes both side of main road at present time. However, upper part of shop area will be develope in to a mall type aminites like bus station, shopping center and car parking. Whole town center will be cover by dual carriageway road in future planning
According to diagram, at present housing area is scattered but in future area will be well organized and will bw coveredin side the dual carriageway road with park. Moreover, more accommodation are available other side of new housing area. However, school remains at the same position in future planning of Islip town center and it will be outside of dual carriageway road.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main features of the current town centre and the planned developments. The overview correctly highlights the increase in concrete areas and the addition of the dual carriageway. However, some ideas are under-developed or lack precise detail; for instance, the writer mentions that 'upper part of shop area will be develope in to a mall type aminites like bus station, shopping center and car parking' but misses several key spatial relationships and specific changes. To reach a higher level, the response should provide a more thorough and extended comparison of the specific layout changes, such as the pedestrianisation of the central street and the reconfiguration of the park.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the response into logical paragraphs, moving from an overview to specific changes in the central and peripheral areas. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, with abrupt transitions between ideas. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'According to diagram, at present housing area is scattered'. Paragraphing is present, but the internal flow of sentences lacks smooth logical progression. To improve, the writer should use a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices to connect ideas naturally and ensure clearer referencing throughout the text.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, but it contains a number of noticeable spelling and word-choice errors that reflect a limited range. Examples of lexical inaccuracies include 'absolutly' (absolutely), 'designing outlate' (designed layout), 'concreat' (concrete), 'buldings' (buildings), 'shopes' (shops), 'develope' (develop), and 'aminites' (amenities). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they restrict the response to a lower band. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to expand their lexical repertoire, use less common vocabulary with greater precision, and pay much closer attention to standard spelling and word forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, relying primarily on simple forms alongside some basic attempts at complex sentences. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly involving articles, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, such as 'This are maps', 'town center showing future development of town center', 'Whole town center will be cover', and 'will bw coveredin side'. Furthermore, punctuation is occasionally weak. While these errors rarely cause complete misunderstanding, they are frequent enough to affect readability. To progress, the writer should incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical structures while improving accuracy in basic verb forms and article usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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