Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The maps shows centre of a small town called of how it looks now and planning to develop in future.

Overall, there is a major difference in the roads which they are planning to make dyal carriageway. New housing has assigned in two areas. Adding bus station, new housing, car parking and pedestrians area.

As per graph, roads are planned to move to the sides. Shops and main road area is gonna replace with bus station area on left south area. Moreover, to the north the shopping centre and car parking is gonna be developed. New housing area is assigned for the north-east side and south-east.

There is a also a change in parking area which is gonna be at a comparitively smaller size to the south -west side beside the new housing. Pedestrians area is also gonna be made in the middle of shopping centre and shops area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad purpose of the plans and note several important changes, including the dual carriageway, pedestrianised central street, bus station, shopping centre and new housing. However, some locations and changes are misreported: the bus station is north of the pedestrian street, not in a “left south area”; the car park is north of the street, not to the south-west; and the park is reduced in size, rather than the parking area. The overview is also incomplete because it does not mention that the school remains outside the new road loop or that the southern shops are retained. The response is one word below the required minimum of 150, and several features are underdeveloped. A more accurate overview and clearer comparisons would strengthen coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and further details, with some sequencing from general changes to locations. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Moreover,” and “As per graph” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, progression is not consistently clear, partly because details are grouped imprecisely: the sentence about the bus station combines it with an unclear “left south area,” while the final sentence places the pedestrian area between the shopping centre and shops without clearly describing the central street. Some information is repeated, and the paragraphing does not separate the overview from specific comparisons effectively. Organise the body by north and south, and use clear references to the existing and planned maps.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “dual carriageway,” “shopping centre,” “north-east,” and “pedestrians area,” so the reader can recognise the main subject. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the intended feature unclear. For example, “parking area” is used where the map shows a park, and “roads are planned to move to the sides” does not precisely describe the loop road. “Assigned” is also an unsuitable verb for describing where housing is located, while “gonna” is too informal for IELTS Academic writing. Use precise location and change vocabulary, and check spelling, such as “comparitively.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts both simple statements and longer sentences, but grammatical control is inconsistent and errors occur in most sentences. The opening has agreement and article problems in “The maps shows centre,” and “called of how it looks now” is not a well-formed construction. There are also errors with verb forms and sentence structure, as in “which they are planning to make” and “is gonna replace.” The phrase “There is a also a change” contains an incorrect article pattern, and several clauses are joined without clear grammatical relationships. These errors sometimes make the locations and changes difficult to follow. Practise accurate present and future forms, articles, and complete sentence patterns before adding more complex clauses.

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