Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-01

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 two layouts illustrate a town square and surrounding area in 2014 and the plans for development of the area to be completed by 2020.

Overall, the town has become modernized over the years. In contrast, the town involves various facilities such as shops, a supermarket, covered seating, children's playground and so on.

In 2014, there was a fish market on the north-western side of the layout, which was replaced by a supermaket in 2020. Additionally, there was a history museum on the southern side of the fish market, which was redeveloped as a local artists' gallery by the end of 2020. Moreover, in 2014, the administrative buildings was present on the eastern side of the plan. This area was divided and replaced by several shops in 2020.

On the other hand, in 2014, there were a fish market and a bar on the southern side of the plan, which was upgraded as bars and restaurants by the end of 2020. In addition, the two covered seating areas were added on the southern side of the layout. Furthermore, a children's playground was introduced on the eastern side, just beside the covered seating area in 2020. Nevertheless, there was a bandstand on the east-northern side of the plan, which was removed and made a way for plant beds in 2020. Meanwhile, the location of the fountain and a town hall was left unchanged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the town square in 2014 and the proposed changes for 2020, making relevant comparisons. However, the overview is somewhat weak and confused, stating that 'the town has become modernized over the years' rather than clearly highlighting the overall spatial transformation. Additionally, some details are slightly inaccurate or confusingly stated, such as locating the history museum on the southern side of the fish market rather than the western side, and claiming there was a fish market on the southern side in 2014 when the text notes a fish restaurant and bar. Ideas are presented and relevant, but certain aspects are under-developed or imprecise, placing this response firmly in the middle band category.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure separating the introduction, overview, and body details. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. The use of transitional markers like 'In contrast,' 'On the other hand,' and 'Furthermore' is occasionally inappropriate for a descriptive map task where simple spatial contrast or addition is needed rather than argumentative pivoting. Referencing is also slightly unclear at times, such as in the phrase 'which was replaced by a supermaket in 2020,' where referencing clauses makes the progression somewhat repetitive. To reach a higher band, the transitions should flow more naturally and link spatial relationships with greater precision.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully demonstrating terms related to urban planning such as 'redeveloped,' 'replaced,' 'introduced,' and 'unchanged.' However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice inaccuracies, such as 'supermaket' instead of 'supermarket' and describing the eastern administrative buildings as being 'present' rather than utilizing more precise geographical or architectural descriptors. The writer attempts less common vocabulary, but occasional slips in word choice and collocation prevent the lexical resource from achieving a higher rating. To improve, the writer should focus on accurate spelling and incorporating more varied, precise collocations for map descriptions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a decent command of past and future-oriented structures necessary for describing map alterations (e.g., 'which was replaced by...'). There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the administrative buildings was present') and awkward prepositional or phrasal formulations ('made a way for plant beds'). Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication and the structures remain mostly clear. A wider range of error-free complex sentences combined with stricter adherence to subject-verb agreement would elevate the grammatical score further.

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