Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-13

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 plans displays how the center looks now and how it changes after development. There are lot of new facilities that are adding in the new construction.

Overall, In the old plan on the north-side there is a country side and in re-modeling the countryside is removed completely and the new road is constructed that surround the whole center and every thing is inside that road. In old center north-side from the main road there are shops and on the south-side there are also shops. In new contruction main road is replaced by padestrian road and on its north there are bus station, shopping center, car park and new housing and on the south there are shops.

In present plan of center on its east there is park and adjecent to the shops there are houses and in the last there is school.

In future development it is almost the same as previous and only new thing is that houses are also located outside of dual-carriageway.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main contrast between the existing centre and the proposed redevelopment, including the pedestrian-only street, new transport and shopping facilities, and the dual-carriageway loop. These are relevant features, and the overview recognises substantial change. However, coverage is partial and some details are inaccurate or unclear: the countryside is not shown as being replaced by the road, and the planned layout retains the school and housing outside the loop rather than adding houses there as a new feature. The southern park is also reduced, while the western and eastern road arrangements are not described. To strengthen the response, compare the locations and changes more precisely and distinguish retained features from new ones.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, a broad overview, and paragraphs describing the current and planned layouts. This gives the reader a general sense of the comparison. However, progression is not consistently clear, and several ideas are crowded into long sentences, particularly the overview beginning “Overall”. Linking phrases such as “In present plan” and “In future development” help signal the time comparison, but the final paragraph is vague and does not clearly connect the retained school and housing to the map. Organise the details by area—for example, north of the central street, then south—and use clearer references to existing and planned features.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “bus station”, “shopping center”, “dual-carriageway” and “pedestrian road”, so the reader can identify many of the features. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings reduce precision, such as “country side”, “re-modeling”, “padestrian” and “adjecent”. Some phrases are also unnatural, including “new facilities that are adding” and “in the last there is school”. Use standard map-description terms and check spelling; more precise verbs such as “replaced”, “retained” and “relocated” would help explain changes without relying repeatedly on “there are”.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentences, and the main meaning is generally recoverable. However, errors are frequent, especially in agreement, articles and verb forms. For example, “The two plans displays” should use a plural verb, while “There are lot of new facilities that are adding” has problems with the article and passive construction. “In the old plan … there is a country side” also shifts awkwardly between singular and plural reference. Long sentences joined with “and” make relationships between details harder to follow, and capitalization after “Overall” is inconsistent. Practise accurate basic sentence patterns first, then use controlled comparisons such as “whereas” and “while” to vary structure.

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.