Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The given map compares the layout of the central part of a small town called islip as it is now, and future plans for its development.

Overall, it is clear that the area underwent significant development, with several new facilities being introduced and some existing features being relocated.

To begin with, before alteratered in the centre of the town there were Shops along with Main road, folowed by shops remained same. C there are plenty of places included such as Bus station, Shopping centre, Car park. Besides this there is pedestrians road for walkers. Subsequently, in East direction before there was an ample space but currently, there is New housing place introduced.

Moving further, in the bottom nearby school and Housing Dual carriageway has constructed. In addition, old housings buildings were replaced with New housing space. Before this, Park covered the substantial amount of space but now it has ed converted into small place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the maps as a comparison of Islip’s current centre and its planned development, and you mention several relevant changes, including the bus station, shopping centre, car park, pedestrian street, new housing and smaller park. However, the overview is vague and partly inaccurate: the area has not simply “undergone” development yet, and the response does not clearly summarise the main structural change, especially the dual-carriageway loop and the retention of the southern shops. Some locations are also unclear or misreported, such as saying the carriageway is near the school and housing. The response is 143 words, below the 150-word minimum. Develop a clearer overview and describe the key changes more accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview and two body paragraphs. This gives the reader some sense of organisation, and phrases such as “To begin with” and “Moving further” attempt to guide the description. However, progression within the body paragraphs is difficult to follow. The first body paragraph shifts between the shops, road, facilities and eastern housing without clearly comparing their positions, while “before alteratered” and “C there are” interrupt the meaning. “Besides this” and “Subsequently” do not always express the relationship between the details accurately. Group the northern and central changes together, then describe the southern area, using clear directional references and simpler linking.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “Bus station,” “Shopping centre,” “Car park,” “pedestrians road,” and “New housing,” so the reader can recognise several planned features. There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “significant development” and “substantial amount of space.” However, word choice and spelling are often inaccurate or awkward, which sometimes makes the description hard to understand: “ample space” is vague, “New housing place” is unnatural, and “old housings buildings” is not an appropriate phrase. “Pedestrians road” should be expressed as a street for pedestrians or a pedestrian-only street. Use precise map terms and check spelling and collocations; this will make comparisons clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the opening sentence communicates the basic purpose of the maps. However, grammatical control is weak and errors frequently disrupt meaning. For example, “before alteratered in the centre” has an incomplete and malformed clause, while “Park covered the substantial amount of space but now it has ed converted” contains errors in tense, article use and verb form. The sentence beginning “To begin with” also lacks a clear grammatical structure, and punctuation around “C there are” makes the passage difficult to read. Practise forming complete past-versus-planned comparisons, with a clear subject and verb in each clause, and proofread verb forms, articles and sentence boundaries.

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

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