Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The plans below show the site of a farm in 1950 and the same site today.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.



 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The information shared with us is about the two site-maps of Beechwood Farm. Both maps have different timeline, one represents the structure of farm in 1950 and the other shows us the development that happened till today's date.

As we can examine the maps one thing is definitely obvious that farm's infrastructure has been improved in a modern way.

In 1950, when the population was low or we can say the respondants were happy with even below average facilities, these kind of facilities were acceptable to them for that period. As time passed, public started demanding improvements in services and obviously a pleasant,friendly environment with basic safety and security.

If we analyze both maps, the major revolution that occured is the carpeted road before that it was just a muddy track. The road leads to a newly constructed cottages for accommodation which i believe helped the farm in an increase in tourism.There are many other developments too but in my opinion these were one of the major points which revolutionarised the Beechwood Farm.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response identifies the two dates and notes that the farm has changed, with the new road and cottages singled out as developments. However, it does not adequately summarise the maps: most of the specific changes shown are omitted, including the farm shop, parking areas, camping field, solar panels and the conversion of the barn area into holiday cottages. The claim that the road was “carpeted” is not supported by the plan, which labels it as a road rather than specifying its surface. The discussion of population, public demands, safety and security is speculative and unrelated to the visual evidence. To improve, give a concise overview of the main transformations, then compare the key features in 1950 and today using only information shown on the maps.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic progression from introducing the maps to discussing changes, and phrases such as “As we can examine the maps” and “If we analyze both maps” signal shifts between ideas. However, the response does not develop a clear, map-based sequence: the paragraph about population and public expectations interrupts the description, and the final paragraph moves from the road to cottages and tourism without covering other major features. The opening also repeats the idea that the maps show different time periods. Organise the response into a brief introduction and overview, followed by paragraphs grouping changes by area or type, such as transport and visitor facilities. Use linking phrases to show comparisons rather than relying mainly on general transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses some relevant vocabulary, including “site-maps,” “infrastructure,” “accommodation” and “development,” and the reader can understand the general point that the farm has been modernised. However, several choices are vague, overly evaluative or unsuitable for describing a plan. “Major revolution” and “revolutionarised” exaggerate the changes, while “carpeted road” introduces an unsupported detail. There are also awkward expressions such as “different timeline” and “pleasant,friendly environment.” Use precise map vocabulary for features and locations, such as “internal road,” “parking area,” “north-east corner” and “converted into holiday cottages.” This would make the description more accurate and reduce reliance on broad claims about progress and tourism.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including “As time passed, public started demanding improvements in services” and “The road leads to a newly constructed cottages.” Meaning is generally recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms are noticeable. For example, “Both maps have different timeline” needs a plural noun and a more suitable verb, while “a newly constructed cottages” has an article–number mismatch. The sentence beginning “In 1950, when the population was low or we can say…” is also awkwardly joined and difficult to follow. Review articles, singular and plural agreement, and punctuation around clauses. Prefer direct, controlled sentences when reporting map changes, and check each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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