Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The two diagrams illustrate the actual Islip town center now and its development plans for future.

Overall, the housing societies are yet to build in and outside the carriageway while there would be a specific route for pedestrians. However, the school and park will be on the same sites.

It can be seen in the development plan there will be addition of bus station,shopping centre and a car pak followed by a new housing at eastside. Moreover, the shops were on the north side of centre but those intend to be in the center of town following the pedestrians route.

Furthermore, There would also be a dual carriageway around the town and housing will be additional infront of school. Countryside will be abolished in the plan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two maps and give a brief overview, noting the pedestrian route and the planned dual carriageway. However, the response only partially covers the main changes and some details are inaccurate or unclear. The school remains in its current location outside the new loop, and the park remains in the east but is reduced in size; saying they will be “on the same sites” misses this important distinction. The northern shops are replaced by a bus station, shopping centre and car park, while the southern shops remain, rather than simply moving to the centre. You also say countryside will be abolished, which is not established by the map. The response is 24 words below the required minimum, limiting the detail you can report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing planned changes. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is organised. However, progression is limited because several features are compressed into short, loosely connected statements, and the relationship between present and planned layouts is not always clear. For example, “the shops were on the north side of centre but those intend to be in the center” does not clearly distinguish the replaced northern shops from the southern row that remains. Linking phrases such as “Moreover” and “Furthermore” are used, but they do not consistently clarify the comparisons. Group changes by area and explicitly contrast what is removed, retained and added.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “dual carriageway,” “pedestrians route,” “bus station” and “shopping centre,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which makes some details difficult to interpret. “Housing societies” is not a natural term for residential areas, and “a specific route for pedestrians” is less precise than describing a pedestrian-only street. “A new housing” and “abolished” are also unsuitable in this context; the map shows new housing areas and the countryside is not labelled as being abolished. There are spelling and spacing slips, including “car pak” and “bus station,shopping.” Aim for precise labels and standard collocations when describing map features.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few complex forms, such as “while there would be…” and “but those intend to be…,” alongside simpler statements. However, the range is limited, and errors in sentence construction and verb forms occur often enough to make some relationships unclear. For example, “those intend to be in the center” lacks a clear grammatical subject and uses an incorrect verb form; “there will be addition of” also needs a more complete noun phrase. The overview’s “are yet to build in and outside the carriageway” is difficult to follow because the construction does not clearly express the intended change. Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, as in “Furthermore, There.” Practise accurate comparison structures and check articles, verb forms and sentence boundaries.

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

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