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 two map shows the islip centre now and the develping plan.In islip town as we can view there is just one main road,shops,housing, park and a school

Overall we can see that there is a change of road at north side and rather then just shops there is a bus station and car parking and new housing plans.

Looking first at where the main road existed it will be converted into pedestrians only ,shops near it remains same and the north side shops will be a big shopping centre along with parking, bus station and housing plan.The new road goes all around the town its east side exists of a park along with current housing plan.West side has a dual carriageway with school as it was between west and south, it still have homes around there as before. The renovating map consist of more facilities and homes for residents to have easy acess to everything they need

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main transformation: the existing east–west road becomes pedestrian-only, the northern shops are replaced by transport and shopping facilities, and a dual carriageway is added around the centre. You also note that southern shops remain and that housing and the park are affected. These are relevant features and give the response a clear overall direction. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the park is reduced and remains inside the loop on the east, while the school and some housing stay outside the loop to the south; the response instead places the school “between west and south” and suggests the east side simply consists of a park and housing. The overview could also state more precisely how the town’s layout and facilities change.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable progression: an introduction, an overview, and then a description of the planned changes. Phrases such as “Overall” and “Looking first” help signal this structure, and the reader can follow the broad comparison between the current and proposed maps. However, the final paragraph combines several locations and changes in a way that makes relationships difficult to track, particularly “The new road goes all around the town its east side exists of a park…” and the description of the school and homes. Some linking is mechanical, and the opening list does not lead smoothly into the overview. Organise the details by area—north of the pedestrian street, then south, then the outer road—and use clearer sentence boundaries and references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “main road,” “pedestrians only,” “dual carriageway,” “bus station,” and “shopping centre,” so the topic is generally clear. There is also an attempt to describe change with phrases such as “will be converted” and “remains same.” However, several word choices and collocations are imprecise, including “the east side exists of a park,” “housing plan,” and “renovating map.” Spelling errors such as “develping” and “acess” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, conventional map-description language: for example, say that the eastern area contains a smaller park, and that the plan includes new housing. This would make the description more natural and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including “Looking first at where the main road existed it will be converted…” and a concluding purpose clause. The main ideas are usually recoverable, but some errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and punctuation make parts harder to follow. For example, “The two map shows” has a plural subject with a singular verb, while “shops near it remains same” has agreement and article problems. The sentence beginning “The new road goes all around the town” joins several clauses without clear punctuation, and “it still have homes” also has an agreement error. Use shorter, complete sentences where several map features are being compared, and check subject–verb agreement and articles.

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