Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-28

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 summary of Islip town centre development plan here shows the addition of new things in the centre. Moreover, the developed plan depicts that the centre provides a range of facilities like a bus station, shopping mall, car park, and new housing in different areas. Apart from this, there is a pedestrian path added in the new plan, which is not in the current centre. However, the park's size is short in the new planned development compared to the current Islip town centre.

Futhermore, Talking about the road

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify several genuine changes, including the planned bus station, shopping centre, car park, new housing, pedestrian-only route and smaller park. However, the response gives only a very limited account of the maps and does not provide a clear overview of the main transformation. Important features are omitted, such as the dual-carriageway loop, the replacement of the northern shops, and the retention of the southern shops, school and some housing. The final sentence begins to discuss the roads but is unfinished, so this comparison is not reported. The response is also 62 words below the required minimum, leaving too little space to select and explain the key features. Develop a concise overview and compare the main changes in both maps.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The ideas are broadly connected: you move from new facilities to the pedestrian route and then the park, using linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “Apart from this,” and “However.” This gives the short response some basic progression. However, the information is not organised into a complete map summary, and the unfinished final line, “Futhermore, Talking about the road,” interrupts the flow and leaves the reader without the promised road comparison. The opening also repeats the general idea of development rather than establishing a clear overview. Use separate paragraphs for an overview and the main changes, and group related features by location or type. Choose a small number of accurate links rather than relying on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing plans, including “bus station,” “car park,” “new housing,” “pedestrian path,” and “planned development.” These terms make several changes understandable, and “reduced” park size is a useful comparison. However, the range is narrow and some choices are imprecise for map reporting: “new things” is vague, “shopping mall” does not match the map’s label “shopping centre,” and “the park’s size is short” is an unnatural collocation. “Futhermore” is also misspelled. Use precise location and change vocabulary, such as “to the north of,” “is replaced by,” and “is reduced in size,” and check spelling before submitting. This would make the description more exact and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response contains several understandable sentence forms, including a comparison with “compared to the current Islip town centre” and a relative clause in “which is not in the current centre.” Most of the completed sentences communicate their basic meaning. However, the range is limited, with repeated simple statements and little accurate use of structures to compare locations or describe planned changes. The final fragment, “Futhermore, Talking about the road,” is not a complete sentence; the capitalisation after the comma is also incorrect. The opening sentence’s construction, “The summary … here shows,” is awkward and makes the relationship between the maps and the plan unclear. Practise complete sentences using forms such as “will be replaced by” and “while,” and proofread sentence boundaries and punctuation.

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