Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-16

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 given maps illustrates the centre of a small town, Islip, at present and the developments in future.

Overall, the planned development shows a great change in the town with more advancements concentrated towards counrtyside with dual carriage roads compared to the present.

At present, the town centre has shops on either side of the main road, on which the north side of the shop is the countryside. The southwest side has road access till the school and there is park at the southeast side. Housing is mostly concentrated in the centre and south side, in between the school and park.

On the contrary, the future development will access more of the countryside for building bus station, shopping centre, car park and new housing. The main road will be changed into pedistrian crossing. New housing projects are planned on the norheast and southeast sides. Apart from that, there will be a new dual carriageway with easy access around the town centre. The remaining facilities such as shops, housing, school and park will remain the same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main contrast between the current town centre and its planned redevelopment, and your overview notes the major change: a dual carriageway and new facilities. You also report several relevant locations, including the existing shops, park, school and housing, as well as the planned bus station, shopping centre and car park. However, some details are over-generalised or inaccurate. The countryside is not described as being developed more broadly; the new facilities occupy the northern area, while the plan also retains the southern shops and places new housing south of them. Saying that the remaining facilities “will remain the same” overlooks the park’s reduced size and the changes to the road layout. More precise comparisons of what is retained, replaced and added would strengthen the account.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear four-part structure: an introduction, an overview, a description of the present map and a description of the plan. This gives the reader a logical progression, and phrases such as “At present” and “On the contrary” help signal the shift between maps. The main weakness is that some links and references are broad rather than precise. For example, “the remaining facilities” does not clearly distinguish which features are retained or altered, and “the town centre” is used without always specifying the northern or southern area. The contrast marker “On the contrary” is also stronger than needed for a comparison. Use more exact spatial references and connect each planned change to its current counterpart.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of map-related vocabulary, including “concentrated,” “access,” “dual carriageway,” and “planned,” and the meaning is generally clear. However, some word choices and collocations are imprecise: “more advancements” is vague for physical redevelopment, “access more of the countryside” does not accurately describe the mapped changes, and “pedestrian crossing” is not the same as a street reserved for pedestrians. There are also spelling errors in “counrtyside,” “pedistrian,” and “norheast.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and control. Aim for standard planning terms such as “pedestrianised street” and use verbs that describe the map accurately, such as “replace,” “retain” and “add.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and most of the information remains understandable. Some grammatical errors persist, particularly with agreement and articles. In the opening, “The given maps illustrates” should use a plural verb, while “on which the north side of the shop is the countryside” has an unclear grammatical construction. The phrase “there is park” needs an article, and “for building bus station, shopping centre, car park and new housing” would be clearer with articles and a more complete structure. Your sentences are mostly straightforward, so practise combining accurate clauses to describe location and change—for example, stating what is replaced, what remains, and where new features are placed. This would improve range while maintaining control.

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