Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-16

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 diagram illustrates a town square and sorrunding area in 2014 and the plans for development of the area to be completed by 2020.

There has been some great development as previously there was only one fish restaurant and one bar but now more bars and restaurants are opened. A covered sitting area has been provided for the public by the fountain and in-front of it a children's playground has also been added. Although the administrative building has been demolished but on its place five new shops have opened. The fish market has been replaced by the supermarket and in-front of it two new plant beds have developed by removing the bandstand that side. Not only this but the history museum has been replaced by local artist gallery and beside it a new library have opened.

These are all the advancements that has been planned to be completed by 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main changes depicted in the diagrams, noting the replacement of the fish market with a supermarket, the administrative buildings with shops, and the museum with a gallery. However, the student fails to provide a clear overall summary or overview of the main trends (such as the general commercialisation of the square and the addition of recreational facilities). Additionally, there is a minor misreading of the spatial layout, stating that a new library opened beside the gallery when the library actually remains in its original position on the western side. Because some key features are under-developed and the overview is missing, this falls into Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is organised into three brief paragraphs, attempting a rudimentary structure with an introduction, body, and concluding sentence. However, the progression of ideas lacks clear direction, and cohesive devices are somewhat repetitive or basic (e.g., 'previously', 'now', 'Although', 'Not only this'). Paragraphing is poorly handled, with the main body compressed into a single dense block of text that crams multiple spatial transformations together without adequate separation or logical sequencing. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'in-front of it'. This performance aligns with Band 5.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'demolished', 'replaced', 'supermarket', and 'playground'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'sorrunding' instead of surrounding, 'sitting' instead of seating, and 'artist gallery' instead of artists' gallery. Attempts to use less common lexical items are limited, and the range remains basic, resulting in occasional vocabulary strain that places this criterion at Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The text contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Although the administrative building has been demolished but on its place five new shops have opened' (which suffers from a double-marking error with 'Although' and 'but'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including 'are opened' instead of have opened, 'on its place' instead of in its place, and 'that side'. Error frequency causes some distraction for the reader, though communication is generally maintained. This warrants a Band 5.5.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.