Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-10
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 maps illustrate difference of Beechwood Farm in 1950 and present that how different it looks.
To begin with, in 1950, there was a river which flows and attached with every category but fruit trees are alone which also attached with road. All the categories having way of track. Whereas, there was soft fruits after fruit trees. A triangular way to vegetables, chickens, farmhouse and barn. On the other side of track there were sheep.
Probing ahead, in present there are many changes we can see that there is farm shop with fruit trees. Earlier there was tracking which is replaced with roads now. Today, there is a triangular road to Barn and on the right side there is farmhouse as same in 1950 but there are new holiday cottages after that. Sheep area is replaced with Parking side to main road along with camping field. On the other hand there are solar panels attached with Parking.
Overall, there are so many changes from 1950 and in present where new parkings and solar panels are alloted.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the maps, identifying key changes such as the replacement of the sheep area with parking and the addition of holiday cottages. However, the description is often unclear and lacks precision. For example, phrases like 'attached with every category' or 'fruit trees are alone' are vague and do not accurately describe the spatial layout of the farm. While the main trends are identified, the lack of clear, logical reporting of the spatial relationships makes it difficult for the reader to visualize the changes. To improve, focus on using precise directional language (e.g., 'in the north-east corner', 'adjacent to') to describe the layout.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the chronological shift from 1950 to the present. However, the progression of ideas within paragraphs is often disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes misused, such as 'Probing ahead' to introduce the second paragraph, which is not standard academic phrasing. Referencing is also inconsistent; for instance, 'there' and 'that' are used in ways that make it unclear what specific part of the map is being discussed. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring clear referents would significantly enhance the flow of the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and often imprecise, which hinders the clarity of the report. There is a reliance on basic, repetitive terms like 'categories', 'way', and 'things'. Some word choices are unnatural or incorrect in this context, such as 'tracking' to describe a path and 'alloted' to describe the placement of solar panels. There is little attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary related to map descriptions (e.g., 'demolished', 'converted', 'extended', 'situated'). To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more precise terminology to describe geographical changes and spatial arrangements.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in basic grammar, such as subject-verb agreement ('All the categories having way of track') and preposition usage ('attached with'). Articles are frequently missing or misused, and sentence construction is often awkward, making some parts of the text difficult to interpret. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the high frequency of grammatical errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence structure and basic grammatical accuracy will be key to improvement.
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.