Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-20

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 4.5)

The maps illustrates the centre of a small town called Islip as compare to nowadays, and plans for its development.

Overall, the area have significant changes over the period, becoming more developed and alot of new facilities are added and removed from the town centre.

The town centre now as compare to the planned development have more facilities like a Dual carriageway have constructed from the area.Moreover, countryside shops have changed to shopping centre on the right side car parking have added and on the left side bus station have constructed to the town.However, on the east side new housing has take place in the area, main road have removed and now

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the maps as showing Islip now and after development, and you mention several relevant changes, including the dual carriageway, bus station, shopping centre and car park. However, the response is incomplete and covers only a small part of the plan: it does not explain the pedestrian-only street, retained southern shops, changes to the park, or the school and housing that remain. Some details are inaccurate or unclear, such as saying the countryside shops changed into the shopping centre; the countryside is north of the shops, while the northern shops are replaced by several facilities. The overview is very general, and the response is 103 words, below the required 150. Develop a clear overview and report the main changes accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is an attempt to organise the response into an introduction, an overview and a paragraph describing changes. This gives the reader a basic sense of the intended structure. However, the final paragraph combines several locations and changes without a clear sequence, and it ends abruptly at “main road have removed and now,” leaving the final idea unfinished. Linking words such as “Moreover” and “However” are used, but the relationships between the points are not always clear or appropriate. Organise the details by area—for example, changes north of the central street, then changes to the south—and use complete sentences with clear transitions. This would make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant map vocabulary, including “Dual carriageway,” “bus station,” “shopping centre,” “car parking” and “new housing,” so the reader can recognise several planned features. However, the range is limited and some phrases are imprecise or awkward, such as “more facilities,” “changed to shopping centre” and “take place in the area.” Repetition of “area” and “town centre” also limits variety. Use precise verbs for map changes, such as “is replaced by,” “is retained,” “is relocated” and “is reduced in size.” Check word forms and collocations so that descriptions of locations and developments sound natural and accurately convey the map information.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple statements and more complex structures, including “Overall, the area have significant changes…” and a sentence beginning “Moreover.” However, errors are frequent and sometimes make the relationships between features difficult to understand. Examples include subject–verb agreement in “The maps illustrates” and “the area have,” incorrect verb forms in “as compare” and “has take place,” and missing or incorrect articles in “a Dual carriageway have constructed.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also problematic: “Moreover” and “However” run into the following clauses, and the final sentence is unfinished. Practise accurate present and future/passive forms for map descriptions, and separate each main change into a complete sentence.

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