Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-11

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 diagrams illustrate the town square and its surrounding area in 2014 and the proposed changes to be completed by 2020.

Overall, the town square was planned to undergo significant redevelopment with new facilities and residential buildings being added. Howeever the central fountain and surrounding main roads were expected to remain.

In 2014, the square contained a fountain in the centre and a playground nearby. A supermarket and shopping mall weree loacted in the northern part, while shops, a cafe, a libraryand a car park occupied other sections. Roads surrounded the square.

By 2020, several new developments were planned. The playground was to be replaced by additional facilities, including gym and a swimming pool. New residential buildings were also proposed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the broad purpose of the plans and notes that the fountain remains, but most of its reported details do not match the maps. In 2014, there was no playground, supermarket, shopping mall, café or car park; the square instead had a bandstand, fish market, town hall, museum, library and other named buildings. The 2020 plan shows a playground, but it is added where the bandstand stood, not a replacement for an existing playground; it does not show a gym, swimming pool or residential buildings. The overview also incorrectly says the main roads remain, as roads are not a stated feature. The response is 30 words below the required minimum, and the limited, inaccurate coverage means the task is addressed only minimally. Describe the actual changes and key features accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and separate paragraphs for the two years. This gives the reader a basic progression from the original layout to the proposed development. Linking phrases such as “Overall,” “In 2014” and “By 2020” help signal the stages. However, the final paragraph is very brief and does not develop the comparison, while the middle paragraph lists several features without clear spatial relationships. The overview’s reference to “residential buildings” also disrupts the progression because this feature is not shown in the plans. To improve, group changes by location or by what is retained, replaced and added, and use accurate references to connect the details.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is an adequate range of vocabulary for describing a map, including “town square,” “surrounding area,” “central fountain,” “northern part” and “redevelopment.” Phrases such as “was planned to undergo” and “were proposed” also show some ability to describe future plans. However, several choices are either inaccurate for this diagram or too general: “shopping mall,” “cafe” and “residential buildings” do not describe the labelled features, and “additional facilities” gives little information. Spelling slips such as “Howeever,” “weree” and “loacted,” along with the joined phrase “libraryand,” reduce accuracy. Use the map’s specific labels and practise proofreading spelling and spacing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex forms, and most sentences are understandable. For example, “The diagrams illustrate…” is a clear present-tense introduction, while “the central fountain and surrounding main roads were expected to remain” uses a future-in-the-past construction appropriately in form. The passive structures “were planned” and “were proposed” are also suitable for describing plans. Some sentence patterns are repetitive, however, and the short final paragraph offers little evidence of more varied structures. The main visible problems are spelling and word spacing rather than grammar. To strengthen this criterion, add accurate comparisons using clauses such as “while” or “whereas,” and check sentence punctuation and structure during proofreading.

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