Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The map below illustartes the centre of a mini town called Islip as it is now, and plans for its development. Overall, the development is better for Islip town and number of facilites also increase.

Islip currently look like so undevloped and just few thing covered larger area. There are some local shop in the north, a main road. Prak and school also availabe, But their is large sapce in west, east and the south. Houses for local people are few and that is not a good thing.

Islip planned development show more intresting, no we have Bus sation, shopping malls, number of houses then the old map,they also provide carparking in near notrh side. The round road connect with all town and that is the most usefull thing.

In conclusion, Islip developmnet will show positive effect on people, although currently it is a small town with litte facilites.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the maps as showing Islip before and after development and give a broad overview that the town will gain facilities. You also mention several planned features, including the bus station, shopping centre, car park and road loop. However, the account is only partial: important changes such as the pedestrian-only central street, the retained southern shops, the smaller park, and the school remaining outside the loop are omitted. Some details are inaccurate or unclear, including the claim that there is a large empty space to the west, east and south, and that the current town has few houses. The response is also 13 words below the 150-word minimum, with 12 prompt words excluded from the count. Develop the comparisons more precisely and describe the main spatial changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction and overview, a paragraph about the current map, one about the planned map, and a concluding sentence. This makes the general before-and-after sequence understandable. However, progression within the paragraphs is limited, and several details are presented as a loose list rather than being grouped by location or type of change. Linking is also sparse; for example, “then the old map” does not clearly connect the increase in housing to the earlier layout. The conclusion repeats the positive overview instead of adding a useful comparison. Organise the description by north and south, or by what is retained and what changes, and use clear references such as “in contrast” and “while” to connect comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “main road,” “Bus station,” “shopping malls,” “carparking,” and “round road,” so the reader can recognise several features. However, the range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or informal for an academic map summary. “Round road” is not a precise description of the dual carriageway loop, while “better” and “most usefull thing” express opinion rather than describing the layout. Spelling errors such as “illustartes,” “facilites,” “undevloped,” and “intresting” are noticeable and sometimes make reading less smooth. Build a more precise set of terms for locations and changes, such as “north of,” “is replaced by,” “remains,” and “is reduced in size,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response relies mainly on short, simple statements, with only a limited attempt to combine ideas, as in “although currently it is a small town with litte facilites.” Frequent errors in sentence structure and basic grammar sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “Islip currently look like” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, and “There are some local shop” has a singular/plural mismatch. In “But their is large sapce,” the sentence structure and article use are faulty; “the map … show” also needs a plural verb. Punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent, particularly after “available” and before “But.” Practise accurate present and future forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries before attempting longer structures.

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