Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-26

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 map displays the the center of a small town called Islip as it is now being planned for its development.

Overall, these map shows the development of the small town in a efficient way so the people of twon or the tourist can easily travel the market and the loacl town people will have the proper roads and market space.

To begin with, in the Islip town centre map it is clearly seen that the roads are narror and dose not have the space for the Pedestrains to walk, due the single line road all the traffic jamed and the cars will be moving slowly on a single road. And currently the town center dose not have proper parking or housing facilities.

Well planned development can easily solve the rush hours problem, in which the roads will be round the market, so the pedestrains can easily visit and their wont be any accidents and the cars can park in two parking areas north and south. Some of the New building will be opened like, Bus station, new car park area in north side and new housing will also be established

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the maps as showing Islip before and after development and mention several relevant planned features, including the bus station, new housing, pedestrian access and a road around the centre. However, the response only partly summarises the visual changes: it omits key details such as the shopping centre, the retained southern shops, the smaller park and the school remaining outside the loop. The overview also makes unsupported claims about two parking areas and accidents, and describes current traffic problems that the maps do not establish. To strengthen the response, give a neutral overview of the main changes, then accurately compare the existing layout with the plan rather than predicting benefits or inventing features.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction and overview to the current map and then the proposed development. Phrases such as “To begin with” and “Well planned development” signal a change in focus. However, progression within the paragraphs is uneven: several map details and opinions are combined in long sentences, and the final paragraph ends without a clear concluding comparison. Some connections are also unclear, as in “the cars can park in two parking areas north and south,” which does not explain how this relates to the plan. Organise the information by location or by existing versus planned features, and use clear references to connect each comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “pedestrians,” “bus station,” “parking” and “new housing,” so the reader can recognise the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “travel the market,” “proper roads,” and “new building will be opened.” Repeated use of general terms like “town,” “road” and “development” also limits precision. Spelling errors, including “narror,” “dose,” “jamed” and “loacl,” make the writing less clear and reduce control of vocabulary. Build a more precise map vocabulary, for example “shops,” “dual carriageway,” “pedestrianised street” and “is replaced by,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a relative clause in “in which the roads will be round the market,” but complex sentences are often difficult to follow because of errors in structure and punctuation. Examples include “these map shows,” “the roads are … and dose not have,” and “due the single line road all the traffic jamed,” which show problems with agreement, articles, verb forms and sentence boundaries. The opening also repeats “the” and uses an unclear construction: “as it is now being planned for its development.” Use shorter, complete sentences to report each feature, then practise combining them with accurate clauses. Check subject–verb agreement and articles before submitting.

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