Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)

The given maps illustrates the centre of a small town named Islip as it is now, and plans for its developement.

Overall, it can be seen that the designs of entire buildings are going to change and

a dual carriage way is introducing around the buildings. New buildings and facilities is going to be add on and some areas remain unchanged, while others gone to be replaced soon.

According to the old map , a dual carriage way has been introduced around the area and some buildings such as, school and park remain unchanged its location, while park will be reducing its

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the topic and attempt an overview, noting that new facilities are planned and that some features will remain. However, the response reports very little of the map information and does not make the key comparisons: for example, the northern shops are replaced by a bus station, shopping centre and car park, while the central road becomes pedestrian-only. The claim that the park remains unchanged is inaccurate; it is reduced in size, and the school remains outside the new road loop. The description also ends mid-sentence, leaving the planned changes largely unexplained. The response is 93 words, below the required 150, which further limits coverage. To improve, describe the main changes in both maps and complete the comparison.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response with an opening, an overview beginning “Overall,” and a detail paragraph beginning “According to the old map.” This gives the reader some indication of the intended structure. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the detail paragraph introduces the planned dual carriageway as though it were part of the old map, then shifts to the school and park without clearly distinguishing current from future arrangements. The final sentence breaks off at “park will be reducing its,” so the comparison is incomplete. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the main changes, and organise details by location or by current-versus-planned features. Clear references such as “in the proposed plan” would also help.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant map vocabulary, including “centre,” “facilities,” “dual carriage way,” “buildings,” and “remain unchanged,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward: “designs of entire buildings” does not clearly describe changes to the town centre, and “introduced around the buildings” is imprecise for a road loop. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “developement” and “reducing” where “reduced” is needed. These issues sometimes make the intended meaning harder to identify. Build a more precise set of terms for map changes, such as “replaced by,” “located to the north of,” “retained,” and “expanded,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt a few longer structures, including “Overall, it can be seen that…” and a clause beginning “while,” but the range is limited and errors are frequent. Subject–verb agreement is incorrect in “The given maps illustrates” and “facilities is going to be add on.” Verb forms are also faulty in “others gone to be replaced” and “park will be reducing its,” while the latter sentence is incomplete. The sentence about the old map combines several ideas without a clear grammatical structure, making the relationship between the road, school and park difficult to follow. Practise accurate present and future forms, especially “are going to be added,” “will be replaced,” and “will be reduced,” and use shorter complete sentences before attempting more complex comparisons.

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