Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-25
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 above given graph depicts the future development plan for a town square and its surrounding area . It can be inferred that there are various differences in locations of where certain buildings must be and how the space is to be used . the use of land has increased drastically , to increase the production of the square . the town hall was kept in the same area , while the fish market adjacent to it has been changed to a general supermarket . the history museum , south of the fish market , is to be changed to a local artists' gallery . the are to the west of the museum , which was left empty in 2014 , will be changed to a couple of plant beds . the fountain remains in the same area , while a children's playground is to be constructed to the south east of the fountain . the area below the fountain , which was empty in 2014 , is to be used for covered seating . the restaurants and bars , located on the far north , is to be cleared , and those buildings to be left empty . overall , the map shows the plans of development of a town square and it's surroundings , 6 years ahead , using up more land and increasing productivity .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student attempts to address the task by describing the changes between the 2014 map and the 2020 development plan. However, the response falls short in several areas. First, there is no distinct overview paragraph summarising the main trends, which is a key requirement for Academic Task 1. Second, there are notable factual inaccuracies compared to the visual data. For example, the student states that the restaurants and bars located on the far north are to be cleared, whereas the diagram shows that the southern perimeter buildings are divided into multiple units labelled bars and restaurants, and administrative buildings in the east are replaced by shops. Due to these inaccuracies and the lack of a proper overview, the response aligns best with Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response suffers from significant formatting and paragraphing issues. The entire text is presented as one massive block, starting with a lower-case letter ('the above given graph...'), which detracts from the overall visual presentation and logical flow. While the writer attempts to guide the reader spatially using phrases like 'south of the fish market' and 'while the fountain remains', the lack of clear paragraph breaks makes the text difficult to navigate. Cohesive devices are basic and repetitive, and referencing is occasionally weak. This level of organisation sits comfortably at Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. The student successfully employs terms like 'supermarket', 'local artists' gallery', and 'fountain', which are drawn directly from the prompt. However, there are awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'production of the square' and 'are to be cleared'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but punctuation and capitalization errors are frequent throughout the response. Overall, the lexical range is somewhat limited and repetitive, justifying a Band 5.5 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'It can be inferred that there are various differences in locations...' and 'The area below the fountain, which was empty in 2014, is to be used for covered seating.' However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are errors with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'those buildings to be left empty' and 'plans of development... and it's surroundings' (where 'it's' is a punctuation error for 'its'). Furthermore, basic sentence boundaries and capitalization rules are frequently ignored. These frequent errors place the grammar score at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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