Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The maps show give information about the centre small town called Islip as it is now, and plans for its development.

By giving a genral overviews, now Islip centre country side shops main road housing parking and this area in future are development made a bridge and bus station and pedestrians .

By having a cursory glance it is vivid that, the Islip town centre area now countryside , there are the shops and main road in the north side area and south side area in housings.School and park in the easta nd west side.

Moving further ahead it is the lucid that , in future planned the Islip town centre are development. There are made circle bridge north side start and south side down , bus station shopping centre , car park new housing and pedestrians only and shops asitis in north side.Shops housing new housing and park in the south side, and duel carrageway school and housing in the west and east side .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the town and mention several relevant features, including the shops, main road, bus station, shopping centre, car park and pedestrian-only street. You also recognise that the plan introduces substantial development. However, the summary only partially reports the maps: it does not clearly explain the key changes, such as the northern shops being replaced by new facilities, the dual-carriageway loop, or the park becoming smaller. Some locations are inaccurate or unclear—for example, you place the shops on the north side in the future, although the northern strip is replaced, while the southern shops remain. Give a clear overview of the main transformation, then compare the present and planned layout accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is an attempt to organise the response into an introduction, a general overview and descriptions of the present and future layouts. This gives the reader some sense of the intended progression. However, the paragraphs do not develop a clear sequence of comparisons, and several ideas are crowded together in long lists. Phrases such as “By giving a genral overviews” and “Moving further ahead” do not connect the information naturally, while unclear references such as “this area” make it difficult to follow what is being described. Group details by location or by change—for example, describe the northern area first, then the southern area—and use simple, accurate linking phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “bus station,” “shopping centre,” “car park,” “housing” and “pedestrians only,” which helps identify features on the maps. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings make the description difficult to understand. “Bridge” does not accurately describe the planned dual carriageway, and “parking” is less precise than the map label “car park.” Expressions such as “cursory glance” and “it is vivid” are unnatural in this context and do not help convey the map information. Prioritise precise location and change vocabulary, such as “north of,” “replaced by,” “remains” and “is reduced in size,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to use more than simple statements, but sentence structures are often incomplete or faulty, and errors frequently make relationships between features unclear. For example, “The maps show give information” combines two verb forms, while “now Islip centre country side shops main road housing parking” lacks a clear sentence structure. There are also problems with articles, agreement and prepositions, as in “the Islip town centre are development” and “in the north side area.” Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, particularly in the long final sentence. Build accurate short sentences first, using a clear subject and verb, then add comparisons with structures such as “The shops are replaced by…” or “The park is smaller than it is now.”

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.