Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-07

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 4.5)

The given chart illustrates a town square and nearby area in 2014 and the plans for development of the area to be finished by 2020. For approximately 6 years.

Overall, the town square and surrounding area in 2014 and in 2020 are adjacent each other, they both have fountain at the middle of the building and townhall.

In details, the town square and surrounding area in 2014 is the smallest between the two town square. They have fish market, history museum, library, fish restaurant, bar fountain administrative buildings and bandboard in their town square and surrounding area, while the surrounding area 2020 has the biggest town square , they have plant beds in two different types, shops, supermarket, townhalls, fountain, base end, children's playing ground and lots more.

In contrast, However both 2014 and 2020 town square are of the same shape and size but more in different ways and different place in the surrounding area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the two years and mentions several relevant features, including the fountain, supermarket, plant beds and playground. However, the comparison is often inaccurate or unclear: the claim that the 2020 square is “the biggest” is not supported, and the statement that both plans have the same shape and size is not established by the map. Important changes are not clearly reported, such as the fish market becoming a supermarket, the administrative buildings being replaced by shops, and the bandstand being replaced by a playground. The overview mainly repeats that the fountain remains central. The response is also 15 words below the 150-word minimum, which limits the opportunity to describe the main changes accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is an attempt to organise the response into an introduction, an overview and a detail paragraph, and the use of “Overall” and “In contrast” signals an effort to guide the reader. However, the ideas do not progress clearly: the final paragraph repeats the claim that the plans are the same size and shape without explaining the contrast, while the detail paragraph lists features without a clear spatial or chronological order. Some linking is confusing, particularly “In contrast, However,” where two contrasting markers are used together. The opening fragment, “For approximately 6 years,” is disconnected from the sentence before it. Group the changes by location or by what is retained and replaced, and use fewer, more precise links.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some task-related vocabulary, including “fountain,” “administrative buildings,” “plant beds” and “children’s playing ground,” so the reader can recognise several map features. However, the range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or unclear. “Bandboard” appears to be an incorrect form of “bandstand,” while “base end” does not identify a feature shown on the map. Repeated general wording such as “town square and surrounding area” and “different ways” makes the description imprecise. “Townhall” is also written as one word, and “townhalls” is not an accurate label for the single town hall. Use exact map labels and verbs such as “replaced,” “remained” and “was converted into” to describe changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts longer sentences, including a comparison using “while,” but grammatical control is weak and errors frequently make relationships difficult to follow. For example, “they both have fountain at the middle of the building and townhall” has unclear reference and missing articles, and “the town square and surrounding area in 2014 is the smallest” has a subject–verb agreement problem. The opening ends with the fragment “For approximately 6 years,” and the final sentence combines clauses awkwardly: “both 2014 and 2020 town square are of the same shape and size but more in different ways.” Use complete sentences with clear subjects, check singular/plural agreement and articles, and avoid joining contrasting clauses unless their relationship is explicit.

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

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