Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-19

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 illustrate the condition of small town named as Islip at present and it is plans for its upgradation.

Overall, the shops are planned to upgrade with three different compartments such as bus station, shopping center and car park. While park and school remained at the same sites. The Dual carriageway is the new feature added in planned development.

Currently, the area for countryside located in the north side of the map. There is the main road cross between two horizontal rows of the shops. Adjacent to this, there is the area for housing in south and north sides. In the eastern side , the park is situated in front of housing area. The school is established in the west corner of the map.

In planned development, The shops are removed with three compartments for bus station, shopping center and car park. Adjacent to this, there is the site for new housing development. Moreover, the main road is vanished and it will be use for pedestrians only. There is a new addition of dual carriageway which surrounds the park and housing area. While school is located at the same site in new development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main planned changes: the northern shops are replaced by a bus station, shopping centre and car park, the central road becomes pedestrian-only, and a dual carriageway is introduced. You also note that the school remains in place. However, some important details are unclear or inaccurate. The park does not remain at the same site: it is reduced and shifted within the southern area. The planned new housing is mentioned, but its locations and the retained southern shops are not clearly described. The current layout is also misreported when you place housing on both the north and south sides; the countryside is north of the shops. A more precise overview and fuller comparison of what is retained, replaced and relocated would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, moving from an introduction and overview to the present map and then the planned development. This makes the comparison easy to follow at a basic level. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weakened by repeated phrasing, especially “Adjacent to this,” and by connectors that do not express the relationship clearly, such as “While park and school remained at the same sites.” Some references are also vague: “this” and “the area” do not always make clear which road or location is meant. Grouping the changes by area—for example, the northern side, central street and southern area—and using more precise linking phrases would make the organisation more cohesive and less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “dual carriageway,” “pedestrians only,” “housing” and “car park,” so the reader can understand the main subject. There is also some attempt to vary wording, such as “vanished” and “new addition.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing plans: “upgradation,” “compartments” and “established” do not fit the intended meanings, while “the shops are removed with” is an awkward collocation. Repetition of “area,” “site” and “new development” also limits precision. Aim for standard map-description terms such as “redeveloped,” “facilities,” “located” and “replaced by,” and use specific location vocabulary to distinguish the different parts of the town.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “While” and a relative clause in “which surrounds the park and housing area.” The main changes are generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “small town named as Islip” needs an article and a different clause pattern, and “it will be use for pedestrians only” has an incorrect verb form. There are also problems with agreement and tense in “park and school remained,” and sentence fragments or incomplete contrasts such as “While school is located at the same site.” Work on articles, consistent present-versus-future tense, and complete sentence structures; these corrections would make your comparisons more accurate and fluent.

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