Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-14

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 maps illustrate the plans of development that are a small town called Islip now.

overall, the the town planned to become more modern, with new transports, a shopping centre and new housing. The main road system will also be improved, while some areas will be reserved for pedestrians.

At present, a main road runs from east to west through through the town. there shops on both sides of this road. Most of the the area is reserved by housing. A school is located in the south-west, while a park is located in the south-east. The countryside is located to the north of the main road.

In the planned development, the main road will be replaced by a dual carriageway around the town centre. A bus station, a shopping centre and a car park will be built in the northern part of the town. The existing shops will remain along a pedestrian-only street. In addition, new housing will be constructed, while the school and park will remain in the same area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main contrast between the current town and its planned redevelopment, including the pedestrian-only street, new transport and shopping facilities, and additional housing. The overview that the town will become more modern is relevant, and several locations are described accurately, such as the east–west road and the school and park in the south. However, some important details are simplified or unclear: the dual carriageway is described as replacing the main road, when it forms a loop around the centre, and the school and park do not both remain in the same area—the park is reduced and the school lies outside the loop. Mentioning the retained southern shops and the changed central land use more precisely would make the comparison fuller.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by a description of the present layout and then the proposed plan. This makes the comparison easy to follow, and transitions such as “At present” and “In the planned development” help signal the change in time. The progression is generally logical, but some details are grouped broadly rather than organised by location, and the final sentence combines several changes without clarifying where each occurs. There are also distracting repetitions, including “through through” and “the the,” and the overview begins with a lower-case “overall.” Grouping features consistently by north and south, and proofreading repeated words, would make cohesion smoother and less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-relevant vocabulary, including “dual carriageway,” “pedestrian-only street,” “shopping centre,” and “housing.” These terms communicate the main changes clearly, and “reserved for pedestrians” conveys the intended function of the central street. Some expressions are imprecise or awkward, however: “plans of development that are a small town” does not naturally describe the maps, while “new transports” is not the usual collocation for facilities such as a bus station. “Most of the area is reserved by housing” is also an unclear choice of wording. More precise map language, such as “located,” “replaced by,” and “surrounded by,” would improve accuracy and flexibility without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, including the contrast introduced by “while” and the passive construction “will be built.” Most of the intended meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. For example, “there shops on both sides” is missing the verb “are,” and “the plans of development that are a small town” has an unclear sentence structure. The opening also has an awkward tense construction, and “the the” and “through through” show insufficient proofreading. Capitalisation is inconsistent in “overall” and “there.” Aim for accurate basic clauses first, then use longer sentences to compare locations; checking verbs, articles, and sentence boundaries will improve control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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