Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-24

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 figure illustrates a town square and surrounding area in 2014 and future development plans of the area to be completed till 2020.

Overall, The entire structure of the town square is going to be changed except fountain and town hall.More developments will be done in the sorrounding area of fountain.

In 2014, there was a history museum which is going to be replaced by local artist's gallery.Moreover the fish market will get converted into a supermarket by 2020.The bar area of 2014 will get more shops along with resturants in 2020.Administrative building will be turned into shops by construction.

The 2020 development plan include more plant beds in the area north to fountain.Covered seating is included in the plan along with children's playground in the middle of the town square. More construction of shops and resturants are going to be made in the 2020 development plan.These new shops will sorround the area of the town square.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two years and give a basic overview, correctly noting that the fountain and town hall remain and that the fish market becomes a supermarket. You also mention the gallery, plant beds, seating and playground. However, several details are inaccurate or unclear: the bar area does not simply become “more shops along with restaurants”; the southern and south-western buildings are divided into bars and restaurants, while shops replace the eastern administrative buildings. The playground is east of the fountain, not in the middle. The overview also overstates the change, since many features are retained or repurposed. The response is 148 words, two words below the 150-word minimum; the nine words copied from the prompt are not counted. Develop the main changes more precisely and meet the required length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs. This gives the reader a basic route through the comparison, and linking expressions such as “Overall” and “Moreover” help signal relationships. However, the progression is not consistently clear. The third paragraph mixes changes to individual buildings, while the final paragraph repeats the general point about shops and restaurants rather than organising the 2020 features by location. Some references are vague, as in “these new shops” and “the area of the town square,” so it is not always clear which buildings or parts of the plan are meant. Grouping the changes by north, centre and perimeter, and avoiding repeated claims, would make the account more coherent and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “replaced,” “converted,” “covered seating” and “playground,” and the reader can generally understand the intended changes. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or repetitive. “More developments” and “more construction” do not specify what is added, while “shops will surround the area” is an unclear description of their position. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “sorrounding,” “resturants” and “artist's” where the plural possessive is needed. Use more precise location and change vocabulary, such as “occupy the eastern side” or “be divided into units,” and check spelling carefully to improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer forms, including “which is going to be replaced” and “along with children's playground.” The main meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence boundaries, articles and verb forms are frequent enough to make the writing less controlled. For example, “town hall.More developments” needs a space after the full stop, and “along with children's playground” requires an article. The sentence “The 2020 development plan include” has subject–verb disagreement, while “will get more shops” does not clearly express the intended change. Capitalisation after “Overall” is also incorrect. Practise accurate present and future forms, articles, agreement and punctuation, then proofread each sentence.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.