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 maps compare a town square and surrounding area in 2014 and future developement of such areas which will be completed by 2020.

Overall, it can be seen that there will be no extension of the areas, while facilities will be reformed into new establishements. With adding number of new facilities.

In 2014, it is clear that the town square consisted of many building such as fish market which in 2020 will be replaced by supermarket, while the town hall and the fountain will be unchanged.History museum at the left upper side of the map will replaced by local artist gallery .

Library and fish restaurant will be removed in 2020 and divided into many chambers in where bar and restaurants will be established. Similar trend will happen to administrative buildings, and in 2020 it will be replaced by many eqaul sized shops.

There will be several changes in the center of the town square,one of them is adding plant beds which was the area of bandstand in 2014, correspondinglyat the lower right and left corner there will be a covered seating and children's playground are.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by comparing the maps from 2014 to the planned layout for 2020, satisfying the requirements for a Band six and pointing toward higher levels. The overview captures the main changes, such as the replacement of old facilities with new ones, and key features like the town hall and fountain remaining unchanged are correctly reported. However, some areas are under-developed or contain minor inaccuracies in spatial referencing, such as stating the history museum is at the left upper side when it is on the western side. To reach higher bands, every major transformation should be supported with clearer comparative details and absolute spatial precision across the entire town square.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure, moving from a general overview to specific changes in the surrounding buildings and the center of the square. Paragraphing is attempted to separate introduction, overview, and body details. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty, seen in awkward transitional phrasing like 'With adding number of new facilities' and 'correspondinglyat the lower right and left corner'. Referencing between sentences occasionally lacks smooth progression, which keeps the response at this band level. To improve further, the writer should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure clear logical links between all geographic descriptions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting less common terms such as 'establishements', 'chambers', and 'supermarket'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, awkward word choices, and typos throughout the text, including 'developement', 'eqaul', and 'artist gallery' instead of artists' gallery. These inaccuracies do not entirely impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score. To move up, the writer needs to demonstrate greater precision in word formation, correct spelling, and more natural collocations when describing architectural features and urban planning changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating future tenses and passive voice forms appropriately for a map comparison. Nevertheless, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with missing articles ('fish market', 'supermarket'), incorrect prepositions ('in where'), and punctuation or spacing issues ('correspondinglyat'). While simple sentences tend to be controlled, attempts at more complex structures often result in faulty syntax and grammatical slips. To achieve a higher band, the text needs a higher proportion of error-free sentences and tighter control over articles, prepositions, and clause integration.

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

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