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)

The map illustrates the information about the changes which took place in lslip town centre in the present day and plans for future development.

Overall, many new facilities were introduced in the development of lslip town centre, however, some places were similar in both maps.

After analyzing it can be clearly seen that in present, there are countryside area in north side, whereas it was converted into four parts such as, bus station,shopping centre, car park and new housing in the same side,the roads are chnaged in future plans, park was identical in both maps.

Moving further towards the ramaining development,in the present the west side has no place, whereas in future will be added a new place dual carriageway in the same side,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response only partially addresses the task requirements. First, it fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, stopping at only 124 words. Second, while it attempts an overview and mentions some changes such as the introduction of a bus station, shopping centre, car park, and new housing, the selection of features is very limited and incomplete. Significant elements of the map, such as the pedestrianisation of the central road and the new dual carriageway loop, are either missed or described in a very vague and confusing manner (for instance, claiming incorrectly that the west side has no place in the present). The position and comparisons between the current layout and future plans are underdeveloped and lack clarity.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation attempted through transitional markers like 'Overall', 'After analyzing', and 'Moving further', but the overall progression of ideas lacks clarity and logical flow. Paragraphing is attempted, but sentences within paragraphs feel disjointed and mechanically connected. Referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in the phrasing 'whereas it was converted into four parts... in the same side', which creates confusion regarding what 'it' refers to. Cohesive devices are used somewhat repetitively and inadequately, pulling down the overall readability and structure of the report.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The lexical range is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The student attempts some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'bus station', 'shopping centre', 'car park', and 'countryside', but experiences noticeable word choice and spelling errors, such as 'lslip' instead of 'Islip', 'chnaged' instead of 'changed', and 'ramaining' instead of 'remaining'. Phrases like 'has no place' and 'added a new place dual carriageway' demonstrate awkward collocations and a lack of precision when describing spatial features and developments on a map.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response shows a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple clauses with frequent errors in complex sentence attempts. There are frequent mistakes with prepositions, articles, and clause connections, such as 'in present, there are countryside area in north side', where pluralisation and article use are incorrect. Tense usage is also unstable when shifting between current descriptions and future plans. These frequent errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader and reflect a weak control of basic grammatical patterns.

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