Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-21

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 1st maps that is showed to me is the map of the centre of small town lslip. the 2nd map is the planned map of town lslip. in the map 1 the countryside is in north and a main road is passing between the shops from east to west. There are many shops along the road. There is a school in the south for the childern of the town and there are many houses of peoples who are living in the town and behind their houses a road is going towards the park. The park is situated in the south-east of the town.

In the 2nd map a circular road is presents that encloses all the buildings. There is a bus stattion shopping centre and a pedestrian is also present alpong the road. The all the town was enclosed by a dual carriageway. But the town that is formed is totally different from the planned map.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the two maps and report a few relevant features, including the north–south position of the countryside, the east–west main road, and the planned dual carriageway. However, the response addresses the task only minimally: it gives little accurate detail about how the town changes. The planned map includes a bus station, shopping centre and car park north of the pedestrian street, plus new housing and a smaller park to the south, but most of these changes are omitted or unclear. The statement that the planned town is “totally different” is too broad and does not explain the main contrasts. Also, the school is not described as being in the south of the existing town; it lies south of the central area. Give a clear overview and compare the key changes accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response follows a basic sequence, describing the existing map first and then the planned one, and the paragraph break helps distinguish the two stages. Some linking is also attempted through phrases such as “In the 2nd map” and “But”. However, the information within each section is not consistently organised by location or by change, so the reader has to infer how features relate to one another. The second paragraph lists facilities without clearly explaining their positions, and “the town that is formed is totally different from the planned map” is confusing rather than an effective comparison. Organise the response into an overview followed by grouped details, and use clear references such as “north of the pedestrian street” and “to the south” to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “countryside”, “main road”, “shops”, “school”, “park” and “dual carriageway”, so the basic subject is understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate, such as “a pedestrian” for a pedestrian-only street and “a circular road” for the planned loop. Spelling errors including “stattion” and “alpong” are noticeable, while repeated general words such as “town”, “road” and “many” make the description imprecise. Use a wider set of location and change terms, and check spelling carefully. More precise phrases such as “the shops are replaced by” or “the park is reduced in size” would help communicate the map changes clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences, for example by describing the main road and shops together, and the basic meaning is often recoverable. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, with frequent errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles and verb forms. Examples include “The 1st maps that is showed to me” and “a circular road is presents”; these should be recast with a clear subject and correctly formed verb. The sentence beginning “There is a school in the south” also runs several ideas together without clear punctuation. Most sentences rely on simple “there is/are” patterns, so the range remains limited. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then add controlled clauses using “while”, “whereas” and “which” to make comparisons.

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