Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-23

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 two maps illustrate the layout of the centre of a small town called Islip as it now and the proposed changes to be made by future development.

Overall, it can be seen that the Islip town is set to undergo significant redevelopment, with new facilities added and existing features upgraded to enhance the visitor's experience.

To commence, now the town had a simple layout with a countryside in the northern part. However, on southern side of east down corner their was park on right side. Moreover, on left of down south area corner their was School. the Desparity of north and south the main road initiate from west and terminate from east. In addition, the main road upper and down their were two Shops nevertheless on south side Housing.

On the other hand, several changes are expected to transform the main road which make big round from all area including on south the school remain stable and also add Dual carriageway on west. Furthermore, the Bus station, Shopping center, Car park and New housing which is widly seen in northern side up. Although, down pedestrian only after Shops. It is noticeable that the park remain unchange on right side south but developing New housing near the main road passed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the broad contrast between the existing town centre and a substantial redevelopment, and your overview mentions new facilities. You also report several key planned features, including the bus station, shopping centre, car park, pedestrian-only street and dual carriageway. However, some important details are unclear or inaccurate: the park is not unchanged, as it becomes smaller, and the school and southern housing remain outside the new road loop. The current layout is also described imprecisely: the park is east of the town centre, while the school is to the south, rather than both being in the southern corners. Develop the comparison more fully by explaining which shops are replaced and which remain, and how the new road changes access.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a description of the current map and a paragraph about the plan. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the body paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in “the Desparity of north and south the main road initiate from west and terminate from east,” where the relationship between the road and surrounding features is unclear. Linking phrases such as “Moreover,” “On the other hand,” and “Furthermore” are used, but some do not establish a clear logical connection. Group details by location or by what changes and remains, and use clearer references such as “north of the pedestrian street” and “to its east” to make the map description easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “layout,” “redevelopment,” “facilities,” “pedestrian only,” and “Dual carriageway,” showing an adequate range for the task. There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “undergo significant redevelopment.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unclear, including “make big round,” “remain stable,” and “widly seen.” “Desparity” is also an unsuitable word for describing the position of the main road, and spelling errors reduce precision. Aim for standard location and change language rather than elaborate phrasing: for example, describe a road as “forming a loop” and features as “remaining in place” or “being replaced.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “Although” and a relative clause beginning “which make.” The opening sentence is also broadly controlled. However, some sentence structures are incomplete or difficult to interpret, as in “Furthermore, the Bus station, Shopping center, Car park and New housing which is widly seen in northern side up.” There are errors in tense and agreement, such as “the town had” for a present-map description and “which make” after a singular subject. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention, as in “on southern side” and the lowercase “the” after a full stop. Use complete sentences and check verb agreement, articles and punctuation.

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