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 diagram display the center of a small town called Islip as it is before, and after the plan for it's development.

In the original layout, countryside has situated on the top of the north side. The main road is located from west to east, and shops are present on the top of the main road in the direction of northern side, while shops are also located on the bottom of the main road with southward direction. Housing is present in the southern direction. However another road is passed from west to south and at the end of the road school is located, while park is situated on the southern direction with the road from east to south direction.

After the planned development, the dual carriageway will develoed in the Islip town centre. Countryside and shops will be replaced with the bus station, shopping centre, car parking and new housing. Furthermore, the main road from west to east will converted into pedestrians only. Shops on the southern direction will be present in the same direction. In addition, school and park will remain in the same direction. In contrast, new housing will be added in the south-east direction.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two stages and report several relevant changes, including the pedestrian-only central road and the planned bus station, shopping centre and car park. However, some key details are inaccurate or too general. The countryside is not described as being replaced; it lies north of the existing shops, while the planned facilities replace the northern shops. You also say the school and park remain in the same direction, but the park is reduced and the school remains outside the new carriageway loop. The overview would be clearer if it highlighted the major transformation: a loop road, a pedestrianised centre and substantial redevelopment north of the central street. More precise comparisons of what stays, changes or moves would strengthen coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: it first describes the existing town and then turns to the planned development. This makes the main stages easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “However,” “Furthermore” and “In addition” help signal relationships. Some connections are nevertheless mechanical, and the long first paragraph combines several locations without clearly separating them. The repeated directional phrasing, such as “in the southern direction,” also makes the progression less natural. Grouping details by area—for example, changes north of the pedestrian street, then changes to the south—would make comparisons easier to track. A concise overview paragraph would also give the description a clearer hierarchy.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “dual carriageway,” “pedestrians only,” “housing” and “shopping centre,” so the reader can understand the general subject. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural, such as “the diagram display,” “car parking” for the labelled car park, and repeated uses of “direction.” There is also a spelling error in “develoed,” and “center” is inconsistent with the British spelling “centre” used in the task. Aim for accurate location and change language, such as “to the north of,” “is replaced by,” and “remains unchanged.” More varied, precise phrasing would help you describe the map without relying on repeated directional expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the sequence of past and future descriptions is generally understandable. However, errors in verb forms, agreement and articles occur often enough to make some sentences awkward. For example, “The diagram display” needs subject–verb agreement, while “countryside has situated” and “will converted” use incorrect verb constructions. In “the main road … will converted into pedestrians only,” the future passive form is missing “be.” Some sentence structures also make relationships unclear, particularly the description of the roads and the school. Practise accurate present-tense descriptions of the current map and future passive forms for planned changes, while checking articles and agreement in each sentence.

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