Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The maps illustrate changes to a small town named as Islip in present, and its plans after redevelopment.

Overall, it is clear that Islip town center will completely change as planned. There will be a dual carriageway around the center, and a bus station, a shopping center, and a car park are likely to introduced. More housing area will be constructed for citizens.

In detail, currently, Islip town center has a main road which separates two shops lane from each other. On the bottom, there is a housing area, and on the east a park is located. Moreover, from the main road, there is a road which is going to the south where a school is built.

Regarding planned development, Islip town center will be fully covered with dual carriageway on its surrounding. The upper lane of the shops are projected to replaced by the bus station, the shopping center in the middle, and a car park. There will be new housing on the northeast side of the center, and main road will be changed for the use of pedestrians only. Furthermore, on the south, a new housing area is expected to constructed near the park, and the school will stay in the same location as in the original feature.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation clearly: the new loop road, pedestrian-only central street, replacement of the northern shops, and additional housing. The overview also captures the scale of change, and most locations are reported accurately. However, some important comparisons are only partly developed. For example, you do not mention that the southern row of shops remains, or that the park becomes smaller and housing and the school remain outside the carriageway loop. The statement that the town centre will be “fully covered” by the dual carriageway is also imprecise: it forms a loop around the centre. Your response covers the task, but fuller reporting of what stays, changes, and lies outside the loop would make the account more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into a brief introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the present and planned layouts. This gives the reader a clear progression from the existing town to its redevelopment. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In detail,” “Moreover,” and “Regarding planned development” help signal these stages, and the information is generally easy to follow. Some connections could be more precise: “On the bottom” and “on the east” give broad locations without clearly relating them to the map’s north–south layout, while “Furthermore, on the south” does not specify which southern features are being compared. Use directional references consistently and group related changes together to make the progression more exact and less dependent on general transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of map-related vocabulary, including “redevelopment,” “dual carriageway,” “pedestrians only,” “northeast side,” and “projected.” These choices communicate the main changes and show some flexibility beyond basic location words. However, several phrases are imprecise or awkward for describing a plan: “fully covered with dual carriageway” suggests the area is covered rather than surrounded, and “shops lane” is not a natural description of the two rows of shops. “More housing area” and “for citizens” are also vague or unnecessary in this context. Aim for precise map language such as “a loop around the centre,” “rows of shops,” and “additional housing.” This would improve collocation and precision while retaining your useful range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more developed sentence forms, including relative clauses (“a main road which separates…”) and sequencing structures such as “Regarding planned development.” Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “named as Islip in present” has problems with article use and phrasing, while “are likely to introduced,” “projected to replaced,” and “expected to constructed” omit the required “be” in passive constructions. There are also tense and article issues in “the school is built” when describing the current map. Practise passive forms for planned changes (“is expected to be constructed”) and check articles and tense consistency. More accurate control of these patterns would strengthen the range you already attempt.

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