Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-10

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 two maps illustrate the current layout of the Islip town center, and show the proposed redevelopment plan from the same site in the future.

Overall, the area will be undergo significant changes. The main road and some shops wil be demolished and replaced with a residential area. In addition several new facilities, such as a bus station, a shopping center, and a car parking will be added only allow for pedestrians.

At present, the area is relatively simple. Shops are located on the both sides of the main road. To the north of, a housing area is situated near this, there are school on the southwest part and park on the southeast part.

According to the redevelopment plan, the area will be completely upgraded. Network of raod will be expanded. In the center, shops will be located. In term of public amenities, a shooping centre, a car parking area, a bus station and some new houses will be established in the north part of the area. Dual carriageway will be situated in the southwest corner of the Islip town centre. Park and school will remained unchnaged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the maps as a current layout and a future redevelopment, and you include several relevant changes, such as the pedestrian-only street and the proposed bus station, shopping centre and car park. However, the overview is not fully accurate: the main road is not replaced by a residential area, and the southern shops remain. Some locations are also misreported or unclear. For example, the existing housing is south of the shops, while the school is in the southwest and the park in the southeast; the plan retains the school and some housing outside the carriageway loop, but reduces the park. The claim that the park and school remain unchanged overlooks this reduction and the substantial road changes. Select the main transformations more precisely and compare the north and south areas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear four-paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to the present map and then the proposed plan. This gives the reader a generally coherent route through the information, and phrases such as “At present” and “According to the redevelopment plan” help signal the shift between maps. However, progression within the description is less controlled: the overview says the area becomes residential, while later details do not clarify that claim, and the final sentence groups the park and school together despite their different outcomes. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “In” and “According to.” Organise details by location or by what changes and remains, and use clearer references to connect each feature to its position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of map vocabulary, including “redevelopment plan,” “pedestrians,” “residential area,” and “dual carriageway,” so the topic is generally clear. However, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “wil,” “raod,” “shooping,” and “unchnaged” are misspelled, while “a car parking” and “network of road” are unnatural forms. “Completely upgraded” is also vague for describing specific spatial changes. These issues sometimes make the intended feature or relationship less clear, which is consistent with a limited but adequate range. Check spelling carefully and favour precise map terms such as “car park,” “road network,” “shops are retained,” and “the park is reduced in size.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including “Overall, the area will be…” and a sentence beginning “According to the redevelopment plan.” However, errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships difficult to follow. Examples include “will be undergo,” where the verb form is incorrect, “shops are located on the both sides,” which has an article error, and “there are school,” which has a number-agreement error. The sentence “To the north of, a housing area is situated near this” is incomplete or poorly connected, and “Park and school will remained” uses an incorrect verb form. Most sentences need more reliable control of articles, agreement and future forms. Practise short, accurate location sentences before combining them into longer structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.