Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-20

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.

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Student answer (Band 5.0)

The diagram demonstrates a city square and surrounding area in 2014 and the plans for development of the area to be finished by 2020.

Overall, in the development plan for 2020, most of the places for town square were either replaced or removed.In 2014 the central part in town had only fountain and in 2020 the fountain remained intact with the addition of new accomodations.

In 2014,the western region of town square consisted of history museum and library. In 2020, these buildings were transformed into local artists gallery and bars and restaurants. In 2014,there was a fountain which remained intact in 2020. There was addition of plant beds, children's playground and covered seating spaces in the development plan.

In 2014, the north-eastern region of city hall consisted of fish market which was converted into supermarket in 2020. The southern part of city hall was completely transform into bars and restaurants in the development plan.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion4.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the two years and mention several relevant changes, including the supermarket replacing the fish market, the fountain remaining, and new seating and a playground. However, the response gives only a partial account of the plans: it omits important features such as the town hall’s unchanged position, the shops replacing the administrative buildings, and the bandstand’s replacement by the playground. Some locations are also misreported: the history museum became the artists’ gallery, while the library is not described as becoming bars and restaurants. The overview is broad rather than a clear summary of the main changes. The response is 138 words, below the required 150, which further limits the detail reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. Repeated time markers such as “In 2014” and “In 2020” help the reader follow the comparison, and the ideas are generally related to the map. However, progression is uneven: the final paragraph says “north-eastern” but then describes the fish market, which was in the north-west, making the location difficult to follow. The overview also repeats the point that the fountain remained, and transitions between features are limited. Grouping changes by area and using clearer links between the original and planned layouts would make the account more coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a serviceable range of map-related vocabulary, including “western region,” “central part,” “transformed,” “addition,” and “development plan.” These choices communicate the general topic, and the response attempts some variation rather than relying entirely on basic words. However, several phrases are imprecise or awkward, such as “places for town square,” “new accomodations,” and “the north-eastern region of city hall.” “Accommodations” is also not an appropriate label for the new square features, and “city hall” is used where the intended reference appears to be the town square. Spelling errors such as “accomodations” reduce accuracy. More precise terms for buildings, facilities, and locations would improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and some longer structures, including “Overall, … most of the places … were either replaced or removed” and “the fountain remained intact with the addition of new accomodations.” The main meaning is usually understandable, but errors in sentence construction and punctuation are noticeable. For example, “In 2014 the central part in town had only fountain” needs an article and a more suitable preposition, while “The southern part of city hall was completely transform” has an incorrect verb form and missing article. Several sentences also run together because spaces are missing after full stops and commas. Check articles, verb forms, and punctuation, and vary sentence patterns more accurately.

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

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