Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-08-28
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The diagram below shows a town square and surrounding area in 2014 and the plans for development of the area to be completed by 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The diagrams illustrates the layout of a town square in 2014 and and its surrounding plan in the future for developments to be accomplished by 2020.
Overall the town square has to go through significant redevelopment. The fish market, history museum, library will be replaced while library and museum would be replaced and many would be reconstructed or several new facilities like children's playground, new shops and plant beds would be would be included in the town square. The town hall and fountain will remain in it's place.
In 2014, the fish market is in north-eastern side while the town hall is in the north-southern side. The history museum is in the west-northern side while the library is in the east-western side. The administrative buildings have been replaced by ships in 2020.
Overall, the reconstruction plan and development of the town square makes it a commercial market and increases it's value.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the transformation, such as the removal of the fish market and museum and the addition of new facilities. However, the description of the locations is inaccurate and confusing. For instance, the student describes the town hall as being in the 'north-southern' side, which is geographically nonsensical. Furthermore, the claim that administrative buildings are replaced by 'ships' is likely a misinterpretation of the visual data (shops). While the main trends are identified, the lack of precision in reporting the spatial changes limits the effectiveness of the summary. To improve, ensure that directional language is accurate and that all labels on the diagram are interpreted correctly.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, the flow of information is hindered by repetitive phrasing and some awkward transitions. For example, the phrase 'library and museum would be replaced and many would be reconstructed' is redundant. While the use of 'In 2014' and 'Overall' helps to structure the response, the internal cohesion within the second paragraph is weak due to the repetitive structure of the sentences. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that each sentence adds new, distinct information would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as 'ships' instead of 'shops' and the confusing directional terms like 'east-western'. The repetition of 'replaced' and 'reconstructed' suggests a limited range of synonyms. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise terminology for describing urban development, such as 'demolished', 'converted', or 'integrated', and ensure that your vocabulary is used accurately to describe the specific features shown in the diagram.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'The diagrams illustrates' (subject-verb agreement), 'in it's place' (incorrect possessive pronoun), and 'would be would be' (repetition error). Additionally, there are issues with tense consistency when moving between the 2014 state and the 2020 plan. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these minor errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and possessive forms would be highly beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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