Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-04

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 plans illustate the development taken place to a town square and the surrounding area between the years 2014 and 2020.

Overall, the area underwent significant modernisation over the six year period with the inclusion of more infrastructure for shops, bars and restaurants and instillation of new facilities like plant beds, playground for children and seating arrangements in the centre.

In 2014, the north-west corner of the town square was occupied by fish market and history museum whereas the north-east corner by large town hall. Furthermore, administrative buildings were located toward the eastern area of the town square and a library towards the western area. Towards the south, fish restaurant and a bar were the major attraction. Moreover, a fountain was located in the cetre along with a bandstand.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response falls below the required word count minimum, sitting at 129 words instead of at least 150. While the writer attempts to summarise the main features of the town square maps between 2014 and 2020, the task is only partially addressed because the description stops abruptly after detailing the 2014 layout. The 2020 changes are only mentioned briefly in the overview paragraph, and the second body paragraph fails to cover the planned developments for 2020 altogether. This leads to an incomplete account where key comparisons between the two time periods are missing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the answer into an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In 2014', 'Furthermore', and 'Moreover'. However, referencing and progression are limited because the body paragraph only covers the initial year and fails to transition into the 2020 plans. Paragraphing is present, but the abrupt ending disrupts the logical flow and overall progression of the report.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully attempting less common items and descriptive phrasing such as 'modernisation', 'infrastructure', and 'administrative buildings'. However, there are notable word choice and article errors that detract from precision, such as omitting necessary articles ('occupied by fish market' instead of 'a fish market', 'in cetre' instead of 'in the centre') and spelling slips like 'illustate' and 'instillation'. Despite these minor inaccuracies, the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the basic ideas.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as introductory prepositional phrases and relative clauses. There are some grammatical errors, including missing prepositions and articles (e.g., 'development taken place' instead of 'development that has taken place', 'toward the eastern area'). However, these errors are relatively infrequent and do not impede communication. Complex structures are attempted with moderate success, placing the grammatical control securely within the mid-range level.

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

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