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 maps depicts the middle part of a tiny town called Islip as it is recent, and blueprints for its development. At a glance, it can be seen that the major changes make in housing and main road.

To begin with, there is cyclic road in the new plan, whereas in recent plan it can not see properly. Inside the cyclic road they include park at southeast side and housing in the right side. With compare to recent plan, it constitutes park, Housing and school in same place. In the top part of the rounded road, they includes new housing, car park, shopping centre and bus station, while in recent plan shops and the main road is the major part. New plan also contains shops and pedestrians road, which is does not exist in recent plan. In the new plan, it contains dual carriageway at southwest part of blueprint.

To sum up, it can be seen that new plan contains more facilities in well manner than recent plan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad contrast between the existing town centre and the proposed development, including the new road loop and the added bus station, shopping centre and car park. However, the overview is vague: “more facilities in well manner” does not clearly summarise the main changes. Some locations are inaccurate or unclear. For example, the park is to the southeast but is reduced in size, and the school remains outside the new carriageway loop rather than being in the same place as the park and housing. The description also misses key changes, such as the central street becoming pedestrian-only and the northern shops being replaced. Select the most important transformations and describe their positions precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction to details and then a concluding sentence. Phrases such as “To begin with” and “To sum up” signal these stages, and the comparison between the two plans is relevant. However, the body does not progress in a consistently clear order: it moves between the road, southern areas and northern facilities, while some references, such as “it” and “they,” are difficult to follow. The conclusion repeats a general judgement rather than consolidating the main changes. Organise the details by area—for example, the central/northern section first, then the southern section—and use clear references to each map feature.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “dual carriageway,” “shopping centre,” “bus station” and “pedestrians road,” showing an attempt to describe the development rather than relying only on basic terms. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which makes some details harder to understand. “Cyclic road” is not the usual term for the planned loop, and “in a well manner” does not express the intended idea naturally. “Recent plan” is also an imprecise way to refer to the existing map. Build a more precise set of location and change phrases, such as “to the north of,” “is replaced by,” and “is retained,” and check collocations before using less familiar expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt some longer sentences using contrast and time references, as in “whereas in recent plan…” and “while in recent plan…,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur in basic sentence patterns and agreement: “The maps depicts” should use a plural verb, while “they includes” should be “they include.” Other examples include “With compare to recent plan” and “which is does not exist,” where the grammatical construction is faulty. Articles and prepositions are also often missing or incorrect, as in “there is cyclic road.” These errors sometimes make relationships between features unclear. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with controlled clauses using “whereas,” “while” and “which.”

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