Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-15

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 6.5)

The two maps illustrate the current layout of lslip town center and its planned future development.

overall, the town center will undergo major changes, including new facilities more housing and improved roads. The main road will be replaced by a pedestrians area.

At present, the main road runs from west to east with shops on both sides. Housing areas are located to the south of the shops. A school is situated in the south-west, while a park lies in the south-east. Countryside is located to the north of the main road.

According to the development plan, a dual carriageway will be built around the town Centre. A bus station, shopping Centre and car park will be constructed in the northern area. The shops will remain, but the road between them and the housing area will becomes a pedestrian only zone. New housing will be developed in the north-east. The park will be moved to the south-eastern corner, while the school will remain in its original location.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You give a clear overview of the scale and direction of change, noting “major changes,” new facilities and housing, improved roads, and the conversion of the main route to a pedestrian area. The main existing features and several planned additions are also reported accurately, including the dual carriageway, northern facilities, and the school’s continued presence. This addresses the task and gives the reader a clear picture. However, some details are over-generalised or imprecise: the school is not in the south-west but farther south, outside the planned carriageway loop, and the park is reduced and remains in the east rather than being “moved” to a corner. Mentioning the retained southern shops and the new housing south of them would make the comparison more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised effectively into an introduction, overview, description of the current map, and description of the plan. This creates a clear progression from the present layout to future changes, and linking phrases such as “At present” and “According to the development plan” help orient the reader. Most information is grouped logically by map and location. To strengthen cohesion further, connect related changes more explicitly—for example, explain how the pedestrian-only street relates to the retained southern shops and the new facilities to its north. The overview could also be separated more clearly through consistent paragraphing and capitalization. Overall, the organisation is clear, although some transitions and relationships between features could be made more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of map vocabulary, including “dual carriageway,” “pedestrian only zone,” “constructed,” and “located,” which communicates the main changes clearly. There is some flexibility in describing location and development, but several choices are imprecise or repetitive. “The park will be moved” suggests relocation, whereas the plan shows it remaining in the east but becoming smaller; “housing areas” is also less precise than describing the existing housing and the separate new housing areas. “Pedestrians area” is an awkward phrase, and “town center” is repeated. More accurate collocations and varied terms for position and land use would improve precision and naturalness. Capitalization of “Centre” is inconsistent, and the town name is misspelled once as “lslip.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple sentences and more developed structures, and most sentences communicate their meaning without difficulty. The present-versus-future contrast is generally handled well, as in “At present” and “will be built.” Some grammatical errors remain, however. In “the road … will becomes,” the verb after “will” should be in its base form (“become”). The overview also needs clearer punctuation in “new facilities, more housing and improved roads,” and “overall” should begin with a capital letter. Sentence structures are mostly straightforward, so adding accurate complex clauses to compare locations and changes would demonstrate a wider range. Careful proofreading for verb forms, capitalization and punctuation would improve control.

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