Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-22

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 given maps illutrates the centre of a small town called Islip as it now, and plans for its development.

To begin with, there is the main road in the center of town. Contryside is in the north side followed by the shops on the main road. Housing is in the south side of the town followed by the shops.Moreover, school located in the south-west side and park is in the south-east side .

On the other hand, plans for development of the town in future. Whereas the main road converting into dual carriageway. In the north-west side, bus station, shopping center and car park will made soon. In front of these building, they will planned to made street for pedestrians followed by the shops in the center. New housing will placed in the north-east side or in south-east side .

In conclusion, plans will developed more the Islip town.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the two maps as a comparison of Islip now and after development, and mention several relevant features, including the main road, shops, bus station, shopping centre, car park and pedestrian street. However, the account is incomplete and some locations are inaccurate or unclear: the countryside is north of the northern shops, while the school and park are south of the main road, not simply features of the town’s southern sides as described. The planned dual carriageway is a loop around the centre, rather than a conversion of the main road. The new housing is in both the northeast and the southern central area, but the response gives its position uncertainly. There is no clear overview of the main changes, and the response is 10 words below the 150-word minimum.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: it introduces the maps, describes the current town, then discusses the proposed plan and ends with a conclusion. This gives the reader a general sense of the comparison. However, progression within paragraphs is weak, and some linking expressions do not show the intended relationship. For example, “On the other hand” introduces the future plan, but the contrast is not developed, while “Whereas” is left as a fragment. The repeated use of “followed by” also makes the spatial relationships difficult to track. Organise the details by area or by what changes and remains, and use clear references such as “north of,” “to the east of,” and “while” to connect comparisons accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a basic set of relevant map vocabulary, including “main road,” “housing,” “shops,” “bus station” and “pedestrians,” so the reader can recognise the main subject. However, the range is limited and some word choices or combinations are inaccurate, which reduces precision. “In front of these building” does not clearly describe the position of the pedestrian street, and “plans will developed more the Islip town” is not an effective way to summarise the changes. There are also spelling errors such as “illutrates” and “Contryside.” Build a more precise range for describing maps, including terms such as “located,” “replaced by,” “retained,” and “surrounded by,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Most sentences use simple structures, and the reader can understand the broad comparison, but grammatical control is inconsistent. Several clauses are incomplete or have incorrect verb forms: “Whereas the main road converting into dual carriageway” lacks a main clause and auxiliary, and “they will planned to made street” combines incompatible verb forms. Articles and agreement also need attention in “school located” and “these building.” The final sentence, “plans will developed more the Islip town,” is difficult to interpret because its verb pattern is incorrect. Practise complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use consistent future forms such as “will be built” or “will become.” More accurate sentence patterns would make the map details easier to follow.

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