Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-25

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)

There are two maps of islip centre illustrate the present condition and their plan for future development.

Overall, their plan is to enhance the centre with inroducing some facilities such as shopping centre , dual carriageway and pedestrian way. They will change the place of some existing houses.

Now, Islip town centre is divided into two parts upper north side has shops attached with main road which is country side. Main road is in center then below the road are also shops on the south side. On the left side is the school in the south-west and on the right side is the park in the south-east. Both are attached with road . In the mid of both are houses just below the shops.

In future, they will make dual carriageway which suround the whole center. Road will be converted into pedestrians way, North side shops will be replaced with new housing on the East-north corner and in the north-west side will build shopping centre and car park on the right and bus station on the left of it. They will add new houses along with park and other will remain same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad change from a road-centred town to a more developed centre, and your overview mentions the pedestrian route and new facilities. However, several important details are inaccurate or unclear. The northern shops are not replaced by new housing: they become a bus station, shopping centre and car park, while new housing is added in the northeast. The southern shops remain, and the plan also retains housing and the school outside the carriageway loop. The statement that houses will change place is not supported by the maps. To strengthen the response, compare what is retained, removed and added, and describe the main north–south and east–west changes more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure, moving from an introduction and overview to descriptions of the present map and the proposed plan. This gives the reader a general sense of the comparison. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow: for example, the future description moves from the carriageway to the northern facilities, then to housing and the park without clearly locating all of them. Phrases such as “on the right of it” also leave the reference unclear. Organise the details by area—for example, north of the pedestrian street, then south of it—and use clear linking and reference phrases to show how each feature relates to the others.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “dual carriageway,” “pedestrians way,” “south-west,” and “replaced,” so the reader can understand the general subject. However, the range is limited and several choices or spellings reduce precision, such as “inroducing,” “suround,” and “attached with road.” “They will change the place of some existing houses” is also vague and does not accurately describe the planned changes. Aim for more precise terms for map features and changes, such as “located,” “remain,” “be converted into,” and “be replaced by.” Check spelling carefully, especially for key labels, and avoid repeating general words such as “side” and “place.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, but control is uneven, and errors sometimes make relationships between features difficult to follow. The opening, “There are two maps of islip centre illustrate,” lacks a grammatical link between the subject and verb; use “The two maps illustrate…” The sentence beginning “Now, Islip town centre is divided…” also has a long, loosely joined sequence of clauses, while “Both are attached with road” has an incomplete or unclear grammatical pattern. Articles, agreement and sentence boundaries need more consistent control. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences first, then combine related details with accurate clauses and punctuation.

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