Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-30

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 map diagram illustrates the comparison of a square shaped town, plan for the development. The plan covers the tenure of seven years.

Overall, the area remained the same but the changes are incorporated. The area of administrative building is converted into shops with major developments in the central part of town.

The fish market and restaurant will be replaced completey by supermarket, bars and restaurants, respectfully, while in contrast, the fountain and the town hall will remain at its current place. The history museum will be replaced by the local artists' gallery while the library will be replaced by the shops. Similarly, the admin building is converted into shops.

Additionally, the plant beds will be added on the north of fountain in place of bandstand and the covered seating area on teh south of central fountain. Moreover, a children's playing area will be introduced near the seating in teh centre of town. Also, an entrance or exit point will be intoduced in the east of fountain, right in middle of old administrative building.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student addresses the task by identifying the main features and changes between 2014 and 2020. An overview is attempted, noting that the area remained generally the same size while undergoing incorporation of changes. Key comparisons are made, such as the retention of the town hall and fountain, and the conversion of the administrative buildings into shops. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and omissions in reporting specific locations according to the visual data; for instance, the library is replaced by shops in the plans, but the student states 'the library will be replaced by the shops' while also misattributing some spatial relationships. Overall, the response covers the main developments well enough to satisfy the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text has a coherent overall arrangement, moving from an introductory statement and overview into specific body paragraphs detailing structural changes. Paragraphing is used, though paragraphs are somewhat short and underdeveloped. Cohesive devices are used, but some are faulty or mechanical (e.g., 'respectfully' instead of 'respectively', and overuse of simple transition words like 'Additionally' and 'Also'). Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'the plant beds will be added on the north of fountain in place of bandstand and the covered seating area on teh south of central fountain', where the verb is missing for the second clause. Progression is discernible, but logical transitions between sentences could be smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, attempting less common items such as 'tenure', 'incorporated', and 'supermarket'. However, there are noticeable word choice errors and typos that detract from precision (e.g., 'tenure of seven years' instead of 'period of six years', 'completey' instead of 'completely', 'respectfully' instead of 'respectively', and 'teh' instead of 'the'). Spelling mistakes and awkward collocations occur, but they do not severely impede overall communication. The lexical range is sufficient for a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms (e.g., passive voice structures like 'will be replaced', 'is converted'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and omissions, particularly missing verbs and prepositions (e.g., 'the covered seating area on teh south' lacks a predicate verb, 'remain at its current place' instead of 'their current places'). Articles are occasionally misused ('on north of fountain'). While these errors do not completely obscure meaning, they occur regularly across the text, preventing the response from reaching a Band 7.0.

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

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