Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The maps facilitates the comparison between the town square before and after development to be completed by 2020.

overall, various distinct facilities took place after development like library, bars and restaurants, and shops. meanwhile, foundation and townhall remained the same. covered seating area, plant beds, children's playground is located near the foundation. history museum and fish market got replaced by local artist's gallery and supermarket respectively.

In 2014, the town square area looks vacant. foundation is on the middle of the area. moreover, on its left side history museum and library has occupied the area. whereas, fish market and Bar located on the top. fish restaurant and bar realized in the bottom area. In contrast, bandstand and administrative buildings located on the right.

by 2020, the town square looks more diversified as new spots covered the area. various replacements took place like fish market replaced with supermarket, history museum turns into local artist's gallery, administrative buildings are now turned into shops. furthermore, children's playground, plant beds and two covered seating area are the new spots around the foundation. however, fish restaurant and bars are now replaced with bars and restaurant. meanwhile, town hall remained the same.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the supermarket replacing the fish market, the gallery replacing the history museum, and the continued presence of the town hall and central fountain. You also give an overview of new features such as seating, plant beds and a playground. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the library is not a new facility, and the square is described as “vacant” even though it contained several buildings and a bandstand in 2014. The account also misses the library’s removal and does not clearly explain that the bandstand is replaced by the playground. To strengthen the response, distinguish retained features from additions and removals, and describe the main changes with precise locations rather than broad statements such as “on the top.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of 2014 and 2020. This gives the reader a basic chronological route through the maps. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and several details are grouped together without clear spatial relationships. For example, “on its left side” does not specify which buildings are meant, while “fish market and Bar located on the top” is difficult to reconcile with the map. Linking words such as “moreover,” “whereas,” “in contrast,” and “meanwhile” are used, but some do not express the relationship between the ideas that follow. Organise each description by area of the square and use clear references to north, south, east and west to make the comparison easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “replaced,” “remained,” “covered seating area,” and “children’s playground,” so the reader can identify many of the changes. There is also some attempt to vary wording with phrases such as “distinct facilities” and “diversified.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a plan: “foundation” is used for the fountain, “facilities took place” is unclear, and “spots” is too informal and imprecise. Repetition of “replaced” and “area” also limits range. Choose standard terms for map features and changes, and use precise location vocabulary. For instance, describe buildings as being “situated along the eastern side” rather than saying they are “on the right.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, including comparisons introduced by “whereas” and “however.” Nevertheless, errors are frequent enough to make some relationships difficult to follow. Subject–verb agreement is inconsistent in “The maps facilitates” and “library has occupied”; articles and plurals are also missing or mismatched in phrases such as “two covered seating area.” Several sentences are fragments or have incomplete structures, including “In contrast, bandstand and administrative buildings located on the right.” Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, particularly at the start of the overview and around sentence boundaries. Practise complete subject–verb sentences, consistent past and present forms when comparing the maps, and accurate singular and plural agreement.

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