Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The map illustrate the detail development plan of a small town called Islip. current map shows there is plenty of room for further development .

To make transport conveniant The new development program includes dual carriageway that will surround the whole town make it accessible.on the north side there are numerous shops in line. The new plan is to restructure the whole line on the eastern side the area is dedicated for new housing and right adjacent to it there is a new parking lot for cars However the middle part of the town will remains the same only for shops.

Towards its west school will remains its position while on the right side of the town the park would be relatively smaller there is a straight padestrians lane just above the shops . A big shopping centre will going to be on the right side of bus station which is on the upper corner just beside the carriageway. Furthermore the southern part of the town is all dedicated to new housing .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad purpose of the plans and report several important changes, including the dual carriageway, pedestrian street, bus station, shopping centre and smaller park. However, some locations and changes are misreported or unclear: the shopping centre is east of the bus station, not simply “on the right side” without a clear reference point, and the southern area is not all new housing, since existing housing remains in the west and the school and housing lie outside the loop. The northern shops are replaced by facilities, while the southern shops remain; this distinction is not clearly explained. The response therefore covers the task only partially, with limited detail and an overview that does not clearly summarise the main transformations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation by location, moving from transport and the northern area to the west and south, and linking expressions such as “However” and “Furthermore” show an attempt to connect ideas. Nevertheless, the progression is difficult to follow because the response has no clear overview paragraph and several details are grouped in long, loosely connected sentences. For example, the sentence beginning “Towards its west” shifts from the school to the park, pedestrian lane and shopping centre without clear transitions. References such as “the right side” and “the middle part” are also not consistently anchored to the map. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and key areas, and sequence each change with precise location references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “dual carriageway,” “shopping centre,” “bus station” and “pedestrians lane,” so the reader can recognise the main features being described. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward, such as “plenty of room,” “the whole town” and “the middle part of the town will remains the same only for shops.” Spelling errors in “conveniant” and “padestrians” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise terms that describe the map rather than general impressions, and use standard collocations such as “the road encircles the town centre” or “the park is reduced in size.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more extended sentences, but grammatical errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships between features difficult to understand. Examples include “The map illustrate,” “the town will remains,” and “will going to be,” which show problems with subject–verb agreement and verb forms. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention: “includes dual carriageway that will surround the whole town make it accessible” combines clauses without a clear grammatical link, while several sentences begin with lowercase letters or run together after full stops. Practise accurate present and future forms, agreement, and punctuation, then check each sentence for a clear subject and main verb.

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