Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-13
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 plans illustrate the site of farm in 1950 and the same site today.
Overall, the area under went significant development .There are a few things that remain unchanged and some new things have been introduced in park.
In 1950, the farm was fairly simple, it was consisted farmhouse, barn and chickens. Barn was located between farmhouse and track and farmhouse
was seen southern side of barn. Chickens was located towards south west side. Sheep area was located on the north -west side of the map.
The secound map shows that the farm has undergone great change 75 year times. The seep area has been removed and add solar plants, parking and camping field. The track has been converted into road. Ban area has been relocated south side of the farm and farmhouse and chickens area has been remain unchanged. The north -west side of the fruit trees, farm shop has been constructed.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the two maps, identifying key changes such as the removal of the sheep area and the addition of new facilities. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview. While the prompt asks for comparisons, the student lists changes rather than synthesizing the information effectively. Some details are slightly inaccurate or confusing, such as the mention of a 'park' which is not supported by the source material, and the description of the barn's relocation is unclear. To reach a higher band, the response needs a more cohesive summary of the overall transformation rather than a list of individual features.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression from 1950 to the present. However, the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes repetitive. The transition between sentences is often abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear (e.g., 'The secound map shows...'). The paragraphing is logical, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider range of linking words to connect the changes more fluidly. The overall structure is coherent, but the mechanical nature of the transitions prevents a higher score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several spelling errors, such as 'secound' and 'seep' (instead of sheep), and some awkward phrasing like 'under went significant development'. The range of vocabulary is limited to basic descriptors, and there is little attempt to use more sophisticated or topic-specific terminology related to map interpretation (e.g., 'demolished', 'replaced by', 'situated in the vicinity of'). While the meaning is generally clear, the errors and limited range restrict the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include missing articles ('consisted farmhouse'), incorrect verb forms ('farmhouse and chickens area has been remain unchanged'), and subject-verb agreement errors ('Chickens was located'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with irregular spacing around periods and commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to suggest a lack of control over complex sentence structures. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for articles and verb tenses would significantly improve the accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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