Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-04

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)

Islip, a small town showing in the map has many features and facilities both in its curent and in planned development time. The main feature is having proper roads to keep traffic manageable. In addition, there are school, park, organised houses and shops which are the basics necessities for the individuals. But the odd thing I noticed that planned development have features like pedestrian, shopping centre, parking, Bus stations, a circula path aound the whole town,but the centre in present doesn’t have these facilities for people living in this town. This shows the difference in how we planned and how final product comes out.

I prefer features mentioned in the Islip town centre : planned development because its having basic facilities and necessities which people really need. In my point of view, a town must have a hospital, college and a university with basic facilities. I like planned development comparatively the present condition of town

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response recognises that the maps compare Islip now with a planned development and mentions several relevant features, including shops, housing, the park, pedestrian access, a shopping centre, parking and a bus station. However, it does not adequately summarise the maps: key spatial changes are not explained, such as the northern shops being replaced by new facilities, the dual-carriageway loop, or the park becoming smaller. The overview that the plan provides “proper roads to keep traffic manageable” is an interpretation rather than a clear account of the main changes. The final preference and suggestions for a hospital, college and university are outside the map-summary task. Focus on describing the existing layout, the major planned changes and what remains unchanged, without personal opinions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: the opening refers to the present and planned maps, and the response moves from general observations to a personal preference. Linking expressions such as “In addition” and “But” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, there is no clear progression through the map information, and the long opening paragraph combines a general overview, a list of facilities and an interpretation without separating these points. The final paragraph shifts away from describing the maps, weakening the overall focus. Some references, such as “these facilities,” are not precise about which features are meant. A clearer structure would use one paragraph for the main changes and another for specific comparisons, with each sentence linked to a distinct map feature.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant topic vocabulary, including “pedestrian,” “shopping centre,” “parking,” “Bus stations” and “circula path,” so the reader can identify several planned features. However, the range is limited and some choices or forms are inaccurate or unclear, including “organised houses,” “basics necessities” and “a circula path aound the whole town.” Spelling errors such as “curent,” “aound” and “doesn’t” in the intended formal description also reduce precision. The phrase “final product comes out” is conversational and does not describe the map changes precisely. Use standard map vocabulary and accurate labels, such as “dual carriageway,” “housing,” “shops” and “the proposed layout,” to make comparisons clearer and more formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentence forms, for example, “But the odd thing I noticed that planned development have features like…” and “This shows the difference in how we planned and how final product comes out.” However, these structures are often faulty, and several basic patterns are also inaccurate. Examples include “there are school,” where the article and plural form do not agree, “planned development have,” which lacks agreement and an article, and “I like planned development comparatively the present condition,” which has an incomplete comparison structure. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also weak in the long sentence listing facilities. Build accuracy with clear subject–verb patterns and complete comparisons, such as “The plan includes…, whereas the current town centre has…”.

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