Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-26

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.

Screenshot 2026-06-22 at 12.20.21 PM.png

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Th given diagram illustrates a town square and surrounding area in 2014 and the plans for development of the area to be completed by 2020.

Overall, the town square is planned to become more modern, with several old buildings being replaced by shops and new facilities, while the fountain and town hall remain unchanged.

In 2014, the layout of the square was relatively simple and open. Fish market was in the north-west corner of the square.While, town hall was located in the north-East.West-north was occupied by Fish restaurant and bar was in West-East. History museum and Library were located in the east of the square. Fountain was found in the center of the square. There was administrative buildings in the west of the square.

In 2020, the structure of the town square is upgraded and become modern. In the west, number of shops are built. Supermarket was attributed in th nort-west corner of the town square. There are covering seats, children's playground and plant beds are install in the center of the town along with fountain. Local artists gallery is located in the east- north corner. While, Bars and restaurant are occupied the east-west corner.

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 provide an overview that identifies the main direction of change and correctly notes that the fountain and town hall remain. You also mention several planned additions, including the supermarket, playground and plant beds. However, important locations and changes are misreported: the history museum and library were on the western side, not the east, and the administrative buildings were on the east, not the west. In 2020, shops replace those eastern buildings, while bars and restaurants occupy the south-western and southern perimeter; your description places these features in the wrong areas. The gallery is in the upper western building, not the north-east. Select the main changes accurately and compare their positions to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for 2014 and 2020. This gives the reader a basic chronological route through the maps. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is difficult to follow because locations are listed in a confusing order and some descriptions contradict one another, such as “Fish restaurant and bar was in West-East.” Linking words such as “While” are sometimes used without a complete contrast, and the repeated “In 2014”/“In 2020” framing does not create clear relationships between features. Group details by area or by what is retained, replaced and added, and use accurate references to connect each comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “north-west corner,” “replaced,” “facilities” and “occupied,” and the overview communicates the general idea of redevelopment. However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or unclear: “Supermarket was attributed” does not naturally describe its location, and “covering seats” is not the appropriate term for covered seating. Phrases such as “the structure … is upgraded and become modern” and “east-west corner” also make the intended meaning difficult to identify. Capitalisation is inconsistent in “Fish,” “north-East” and “Library.” Build a reliable set of location and change expressions, such as “situated in,” “to the east of,” “was converted into” and “was replaced by,” and use them precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the overview sentence using “while” shows an effort to combine related information. However, control is inconsistent, with frequent errors in articles, agreement, verb forms and sentence boundaries. For example, “Fish market was” needs an article, “There was administrative buildings” has incorrect agreement, and “the structure … is upgraded and become modern” shifts tense and uses an incorrect verb form. The fragment-like “While, town hall was located…” and the run-together “square.While” also affect punctuation and sentence structure. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions of the 2014 map and future forms for the plans, while checking articles and plural subjects in 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.