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 given map summarises the centre of a little town named as Islip as of now, and what plans are being made for future renovation.

Overall, there are dramatic changes which are supposed to be implemeneted for development.

Firstly, the shops and the countryside on the north side are being replaced by various things such as bus station, shopping centre , car park and new housing. The main road which used to pass straight from west to east is made now only for pedestrian, but for vehicles a new road would be made in a circle around the shops. The older shops which were beneath the maain road stays the same as earlier. The park in the south east direction have been made smaller in size, the hosuing just below the older shops have been changed into two category new hosuing and the same as earlie. the school is at the same place where it was earlier but there is a small change into its size. in development map there would be dual carriageway.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main purpose of the maps and report several important changes: the northern shops are replaced by a bus station, shopping centre and car park, the central road becomes pedestrian-only, and a dual carriageway is planned around the centre. You also note that the southern shops remain and the park becomes smaller. These details show relevant coverage of both maps. However, the overview is broad (“dramatic changes”) rather than summarising the main pattern, and some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate: the countryside is not stated to be replaced, and the school remains in place without a reported size change. Clarify how the southern housing is divided and distinguish the new housing from the existing housing to give a fuller, more precise account.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic progression from an introduction and overview to a description of planned changes, and sequencing words such as “Overall” and “Firstly” help signal the structure. However, most details are compressed into one long paragraph, so the reader has to work to separate the northern, central and southern changes. The final section also moves abruptly from the park and housing to the school and then repeats the dual carriageway. Some linking is mechanical, and references such as “the same as earlier” do not make clear which housing area is meant. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the main groups of changes, and organise details by location to make the progression clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “pedestrian,” “dual carriageway,” “shopping centre” and “replaced,” which helps communicate the development plan. There is some variety in how you describe change, but several choices are imprecise or unnatural, such as “future renovation,” “made now only for pedestrian” and “two category new housing.” Spelling errors, including “implemeneted,” “maain,” “hosuing” and “earlie,” also reduce accuracy and polish. Aim for precise planning terms and standard collocations, and proofread carefully. For example, describe the road as being “converted into a pedestrian-only street” and the housing as being “divided between existing and new homes.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “The main road which used to pass straight from west to east…” and a contrast with “but.” However, errors in agreement, articles and verb forms occur in several places: “The older shops … stays” should use a plural verb, while “The park … have been made smaller” needs singular agreement and a more suitable passive construction. The sentence beginning “the hosuing just below…” has unclear structure, and the final sentence fragment-like addition repeats information rather than forming a well-controlled sentence. Use consistent present and future forms to distinguish the current map from the plan, and check each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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