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 illustration demonstrates the change of a small town called Islip, as it is now and the predected view for its development.

overall, it is clear from the planned development that is going to be roughly a radical change and several addings, the only things remained the same is the places of the school and the park.

to begin with, the main road will be reshaped to a cyrcle that surround differ facilities, a bus station added in the northwest of the city and a shopping center just at the right of it, also a car park nearby at the same direction and a new housing in the north east of the city, the shops that used to be north of the main road is gone, but the shops located in the south of the main road remained there.

the park is going to be expanded, and new housing will be added just at the left of it, the school also is going to be expanded noticeably without any change of it place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad contrast between the existing town and a substantially redeveloped centre, and you report several key changes, including the bus station, shopping centre, car park, northern shops’ removal and pedestrian-only street. However, some details are inaccurate: the park is reduced in size, not expanded, and the school remains in place rather than being noticeably enlarged. The overview also says the school and park are the only features unchanged, although the southern shops and some housing remain. Important features such as the dual-carriageway loop and the central street becoming pedestrian-only need clearer emphasis. These omissions and misreadings make the summary only partly complete; check each location and describe the main changes more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing changes. Its sequence from the northern area to the southern area is generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “to begin with” and “also” help connect details. This clear overall arrangement is a strength. However, the long third paragraph strings several changes together with commas, making relationships between locations less clear; for example, the bus station, shopping centre, car park and new housing are crowded into one sentence. The overview’s claim about what remains unchanged also makes the progression less reliable. Use shorter, more controlled sentences and group features by area or by what changes and remains.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “development,” “northwest,” “car park,” “remained” and “expanded,” and you attempt to describe spatial relationships. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the intended meaning unclear. “Addings” is not a natural noun here, while “reshaped to a cyrcle” does not accurately describe the dual-carriageway loop. “Predected” and “cyrcle” are spelling errors, and “at the same direction” is an awkward location phrase. Aim for precise map language such as “encircle,” “be replaced by,” and “to the east of,” and check spelling and collocations before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine information in longer sentences and use future forms to describe the planned map, but control is inconsistent. The opening sentence lacks a clear grammatical construction after “demonstrates,” and the overview has faulty agreement and structure in “the only things remained the same is.” In the final paragraph, “without any change of it place” also contains errors in the noun phrase and possessive form. Several clauses are joined by commas rather than being separated or linked with appropriate conjunctions, as in the long description beginning “to begin with.” Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles and possessives, and use full stops to control complex sentences. These recurring errors can make some details difficult to interpret.

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