Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The map below illustrates the centre of a small town called Islip as it is now and the plans how it will be develop.

Overall, the road will face an upgrade and some new facilities including shopping centre, bus station, car park and two new housing area will join the town.

The present road will be closed and it will be limited for pederstrians only while the incomplete road will allow all the features around the town. A new housing will appear beside the northeast corner of the road. Moreover, the size of the park will face a significant decrease because of another new housing will take place beside the park.

Another noticeable thing is that, the north side shop will be replaced by bus station, shopping center, and a car park. The current housing will be shifted to the southeast site of the town. Therefore, school and shops in the middle will not experience any kind of change.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main planned changes, including the pedestrian-only central street, replacement of the northern shops by transport and shopping facilities, new housing, and a smaller park. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the existing road is not simply “closed”; it becomes pedestrian-only while a dual carriageway loops around the centre. The claim that current housing “will be shifted” is misleading, as housing remains in the south and new housing is added. You also say the school and shops “in the middle” will not change, although the school remains outside the loop and only the southern shops remain. The response is 146 words, four below the required minimum, and this limits the development of the summary. A clearer overview and more precise comparisons would strengthen coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is not always clear, and some references are difficult to interpret. For example, “the incomplete road” does not clearly identify the planned dual carriageway, while “the current housing will be shifted to the southeast site” leaves the locations and extent of the change uncertain. Linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “Therefore” are used, but the latter introduces a conclusion that does not follow accurately from the preceding information. Organise the details by area—north of the central street, then south—and use precise location references to make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “bus station,” “car park,” “northeast corner,” and “decrease,” so the main changes are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the description awkward. “The road will face an upgrade” is vague; “the road network will be redeveloped” is more precise. “The incomplete road” does not name the dual carriageway, and “new housing area” is not expressed naturally. There are also spelling errors in “pederstrians” and inconsistent spelling in “shopping centre/center.” Use standard map terms consistently and choose vocabulary that describes the actual spatial changes rather than relying on general phrases such as “face an upgrade.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “while,” “because,” and “that.” However, errors are frequent enough to make some sentences awkward or unclear. The introduction says “the plans how it will be develop,” where the clause structure and verb form are faulty. In “a new housing will appear” and “because of another new housing will take place,” the article and sentence construction are problematic. “The current housing will be shifted” also uses a passive form that does not accurately express the map change. Work on forming accurate future constructions and subordinate clauses, and check articles and countable/uncountable nouns. More reliable control of these basic patterns would make your comparisons clearer.

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