Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-17
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 maps displays the current overview of City center (called Islip) and overview after its future construction. Overall, there is no proper infrastructure, places for entertainment purposes and also less residential areas, which are planned to be constructed in future development.
If we overview city righ now so there is just one main road and that break and create road towards school and a park with that on the both sides of main road there are shops and city center contain two residential areas thats all it contains. There no parking space, no pedestrains path, Bus station, Shopping center, etc which should be there for facility of citizens.
While, The palnned new construction contain all of these thing also in systematic manner. The main road divides into two parts one is entery sided and other is exit side which helps traffic to move smoothly, with that two new housing sceems are being introduced, shops are placed in center with pedistrrains path only so everyone feels convinent, all commercial part is set in northern side of city which are shoppping center, bus station, car parking.
If every thing goes with the plan the city will be the most systematic and managible city in whole area.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You identify the broad contrast between the existing town centre and its planned redevelopment, and you mention several relevant changes, including the pedestrian-only street, new housing, bus station, shopping centre and car parking. However, some important map details are missing or unclear: the dual carriageway forms a loop around the centre, the northern shops are replaced by three facilities, and the southern shops remain. The description of the current layout as having “two residential areas” is not clearly supported by the map, while the claim that the main road divides into an entry and exit side misrepresents the planned road system. The overview also focuses on general benefits rather than summarising the main physical changes. A more precise comparison of locations and what is retained, replaced or added would strengthen the response.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable overall structure: an opening overview, a paragraph about the current map, and a paragraph describing the plan. This gives the reader a basic progression from present to future. However, the organisation within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in the long sentence beginning “If we overview city righ now,” where several features are joined without clear boundaries. Linking words such as “Overall,” “While,” and “with that” are used, but some connections are mechanical or do not clearly express the relationship between ideas. The final prediction about the city being “the most systematic” also interrupts the map-based comparison. Grouping details by location and using clearer sentence divisions and references would make the progression easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “main road,” “residential areas,” “pedestrians path,” “Bus station,” and “Shopping center,” so the reader can identify many of the features being discussed. However, the range is limited and several word choices are imprecise for describing a map. Phrases such as “future construction,” “commercial part,” and “entry sided and other is exit side” do not accurately or naturally describe the planned layout. Spelling errors are also noticeable, including “pedestrains,” “palnned,” “pedistrrains,” and “managible,” and these sometimes slow the reader. Use precise map vocabulary such as “redevelopment,” “pedestrian-only street,” and “dual carriageway,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the response is generally understandable despite some grammatical errors. However, longer sentences are often poorly controlled: for example, “If we overview city righ now so there is just one main road and that break and create road towards school” has problems with clause structure, verb forms and articles. There are also errors in agreement and tense, as in “The maps displays” and “the planned new construction contain,” as well as missing articles in phrases such as “towards school” and “in center.” Punctuation is limited, so several ideas run together. Practise building accurate sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use a mix of shorter statements and controlled complex clauses to describe locations and changes.
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.
