Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The two maps show the difference in the structure of the centre of a small town called Islip, as it is now and plans for its development.

Overall, the structure of the centre as of now, is less complex than the planned development. The things included in the present structure from the planned development are the shops lane in the north side of the housing area. The park connected with the housing area and the school on its south-west side is also included.

In the planned development, the north side of the housing was complex having the bus station, shopping centre, car park and new housing on the same lane. Between this congested area and the shops lane was a pedestrains only walking area. This whole area was surrounded by dual carriageway in north and south side. The school was not connected to the housing and park but was outside the south-side of the carriageway with housing area on its east side.

In the present structure, the north side of the housing area has been made simple. The dual carriageway is replaced with a main road and and other side road connecting the housing area. The main road has shops lane on both sides of it with countryside in the place of the north-side of the dual carriage-way. The housing area is not surrounded by the dual carriage-way. But has open connection with the park and the school.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the two maps and give an overall comparison, noting that the planned centre is more complex and that the main road becomes pedestrian-only while a dual carriageway is introduced. You also mention several key facilities, including the bus station, shopping centre, car park and school. However, some important changes are unclear or inaccurately described: the northern shops are replaced by facilities, while the southern shops remain; the park is reduced rather than simply retained; and the carriageway forms a loop around the centre, not just on its north and south sides. The present-day description also misplaces the school and suggests the park is connected to housing. Covering these changes more precisely and consistently would strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear four-paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the planned and current layouts. This gives the reader a basic route through the comparison. However, the progression is weakened because the final paragraph returns to the present layout after the planned layout, and the maps’ features are not consistently grouped by location or by change. Phrases such as “this whole area” and “the same lane” have unclear references, while repeated use of “In the planned development” and “In the present structure” makes the linking somewhat mechanical. Organise the body around north and south, or describe the current map first and then explain each corresponding change, using clearer references.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing maps, including “structure,” “surrounded,” “connected,” “carriageway” and “pedestrian-only.” These terms help communicate the broad transformation, and the meaning is generally understandable. Some choices are imprecise or unnatural, however: “shops lane” is not a natural label for the rows of shops, and “open connection” does not clearly describe the layout. “Congested area” suggests traffic or overcrowding, which is not shown by the map. There are also spelling errors, notably “pedestrains.” Choose standard map-description terms and use precise location language; this will make the account more accurate and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the contrast introduced by “as it is now” and the clause “with countryside in the place of…”. Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions reduce accuracy. For example, “as of now, is less complex” has an unnecessary comma, and “the north side of the housing was complex having…” needs a clearer sentence structure. The phrase “and and other side road” contains a repeated conjunction, while “The housing area is not surrounded… But has…” incorrectly separates the second part of the sentence. Review punctuation, articles and sentence boundaries, and check that each clause has a complete, correctly connected structure.

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