Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-08

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 show the before and after development plan for the centre of a small town called islip

Overall, dual carriageway is constructed which is circling the center of town. North side of shop will be replaced with bus station, shopping center and car park and main road is now replaced with pedestrains only, while school, shops and housing remain the same

The major development is dual carriageway which is encricle the center of town. The north side of shop will replace with station for bus at left, shopping center at centre and parking area for car at right, Beside to it, new housing is added to north east side of town centre

Main road will, now replaced with pedestrains only, The size of park which used to be large , after development plan it will shrink. And new housing will added along the park. Outer part of centre such as school and housing remain the same as well shops in the south side

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main transformation: a dual carriageway will encircle the centre, the northern shops will be replaced by a bus station, shopping centre and car park, and the central road will become pedestrian-only. You also note the park’s reduction and the addition of housing, so the response addresses the key changes. However, some details are incomplete or unclear: the southern shops remain, and the school and housing to the south are outside the new loop, rather than simply remaining unchanged. The overview also says housing remains the same without distinguishing the new housing from existing housing. More precise comparisons of what is retained, replaced and added would make the account more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the northern and southern parts of the plan. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, the two detail paragraphs repeat points already made in the overview, particularly the carriageway and the replacement of the main road, and the progression between features is not always clear. The final paragraph combines the pedestrian street, park, new housing and retained areas without clearly showing their relationships. Use one overview followed by logically grouped comparisons, and connect them with precise transitions such as “to the north” and “in the southern section.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “dual carriageway,” “pedestrians only,” “shopping center,” and “new housing,” which allows the main changes to be understood. There is also some attempt to vary expressions, for example “parking area for car” alongside “car park.” However, spelling errors such as “pedestrains” and “encricle,” and imprecise or awkward phrases such as “station for bus” and “north side of shop,” reduce accuracy and naturalness. Some wording is also repetitive, especially “center of town.” Aim for standard map terms and accurate collocations; this will make the description more precise without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, including a contrast introduced by “while” and a relative clause in “the park which used to be large.” These show some range, and the intended comparisons are generally understandable. However, errors in verb forms, articles and sentence construction recur: “dual carriageway is constructed” needs a future form, “will replace with” needs a passive construction, and “new housing will added” is missing “be.” There are also agreement and punctuation problems, as in “The size of park … it will shrink,” and several sentence fragments or run-ons caused by comma splices and capitalisation. Practise accurate future passive forms and divide the information into complete, clearly punctuated sentences.

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

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