Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-02

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 illustrates the difference between two tmelines when the town square in 2014 is underdevelopment and its development will complete in 2020

overall the town square will undergo to major redevelopment with more shops iand restaurant in 2020 .However, townhall and fountain will remain same.Some buldings will be replaced with new buildings and the town square will look more populated with new shops and restaurant

In 2014 the town square is not mush devloped .in nothern side of town square fishmarkert and townhall is present .The town square have a fountain which is present in the middle .The east side of town square have history mesuem and library .The west side have a administrative building .The South side have a fish market and a bar .Between the north and west there is a bandstand near townhall is present

In 2020 many shops are replaced with new shops.The north side have now supermarket which is replaced by the fishmarkert the townhall remain the same .The history museum and the library is replaced by the local artists gallery and the administrative buildings is also replaced by the shops . as compared to 2014 the middle area of the town square is more populated in 2020 have children's playground , coverd seating and plant beds

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response attempts to address the prompt by outlining the changes between 2014 and 2020, achieving a partial overview stating that the town square undergoes redevelopment while the town hall and fountain remain. However, the selection of features lacks precision, and key details are confused or inaccurately reported. For instance, the student states that the administrative buildings and history museum are on the west side when they are actually situated on the east and west respectively, and mislabels the fish market location. Ideas remain limited and under-developed, with some generalizations about the area being 'more populated' rather than reporting the physical layout and structural modifications clearly. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to present a fully developed overview of the main trends without factual inaccuracies and provide a more thorough, accurate reporting of the spatial transformations shown in the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response displays some organization with a paragraph structure separating the introduction, overview, and specific details of the two time periods, establishing a basic overall arrangement. However, there is no clear progression of ideas across the response, and cohesive devices are generally inadequate, repetitive, or missing, leading to disjointed sentences. For example, sentences often start abruptly without transitional links, and referencing is sometimes unclear, such as pronoun use and ambiguous spatial markers like 'Between the north and west there is a bandstand'. Paragraphing is also erratic, with the overview lacking proper separation from the body text in places. To improve cohesion, the writer should employ a wider range of cohesive devices more accurately, ensure clear logical sequencing between map comparisons, and structure paragraphs with distinct thematic focuses.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task, containing noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and spelling that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Examples of lexical slips include 'tmelines', 'underdevelopment', 'iand', 'buldings', 'fishmarkert', 'mesuem', and 'coverd'. The writer relies heavily on basic, repetitive terms and struggles with precise mapping vocabulary, misidentifying features (such as calling plant beds and seating areas parts of the population). Attempts at less common lexical items are largely unsuccessful due to form errors. To achieve a higher band, the student must expand their vocabulary range, apply precise terminology for geographical and architectural features (such as 'relocated', 'demolished', or 'converted'), and minimize spelling and word-form inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with frequent attempts at complex or compound forms that are often faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors in tense usage (e.g., mixing past, present, and future forms when describing static map comparisons), missing articles (e.g., 'in nothern side', 'have history mesuem'), and incorrect prepositions (e.g., 'undergoing to major redevelopment'). Punctuation and capitalization are also problematic, with missing periods and lowercase beginnings for sentences. These frequent errors cause strain and difficulty for the reader. To progress, the student needs to demonstrate better control over basic grammatical patterns, improve subject-verb agreement, use correct articles consistently, and accurately apply past and present tense structures when describing comparative visual data.

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

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