Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-03

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 6.5)

The two maps illustrates the current layout of towm called islip amd changes that are planned for its development.

overall, the centre will change from road based area with shops from both sides of main road into a mostly pedestrians area sorrounded by a ring road. The north of the centre will also be redeveloped, and more housing will be added.

At present, the main road runs from west to east through the centre. There are shops on both sides of it, and housing lies to the south of the shops. A road from the west lead to the school in the south west, and a short road from the east leads to the park in the south east.

In the plan dual carriageway will enter from the west, go around the centre in an oval, and leave to the east. The main road will become pedestrian only street. The shops to its north will be replaced by bus station, shopping centre and a car park. New housing will be build in the north east. The school and the housing will stay.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation clearly: the centre changes from a through-road with shops to a pedestrian street enclosed by a dual-carriageway loop, and you note the northern redevelopment and added housing. The present-day layout is also described with relevant locations, including the shops, housing, school and park. This covers the task well, but some planned details are less fully reported. In particular, the southern shops remain, while the area behind them is reorganised into housing, new housing and a smaller park; the school and southern housing remain outside the loop. Your statement that “the school and the housing will stay” is too general to convey these distinctions. Including these comparisons would make the account more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised effectively into an introduction, a clear overview, a description of the current map and a paragraph on the plan. This gives the reader a logical progression from the broad changes to specific locations. Linking phrases such as “At present” and “In the plan” help distinguish the two time periods, while “overall” appropriately signals the main summary. To make the progression more flexible, connect details within the planned-development paragraph rather than presenting them mainly as a sequence of separate statements. For example, group the northern replacements together, then contrast them with the retained southern shops and the changes farther south. This would also clarify how the new housing relates to the park and the road loop.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of map vocabulary, including “layout,” “redeveloped,” “pedestrian only,” “dual carriageway” and “replaced,” and the main changes are generally easy to understand. Some choices are imprecise or awkward, however: “road based area” is not a natural description of the current centre, and “go around the centre in an oval” is less precise than describing a loop. There are also spelling errors such as “towm,” “amd” and “sorrounded,” which reduce the accuracy of the vocabulary. Use standard map terms consistently and check spelling carefully. More precise wording for the southern changes would also help distinguish retained housing from the new housing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, and the overview uses a useful contrast between the current and planned layouts. However, some grammatical errors remain. The opening has subject–verb disagreement in “maps illustrates,” and “A road from the west lead” also needs a singular verb. In the plan paragraph, “will be build” uses the wrong form after “will be”; the passive requires “built.” Articles are also missing in phrases such as “become pedestrian only street” and “replaced by bus station.” These errors do not prevent the reader from following the map description, but they limit accuracy. Proofread verb agreement, passive forms and articles, while retaining the sentence variety you already attempt.

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