Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-15

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)

this plan illustrates the Beechwood farm in 1950 and the site at current time.

Overall, the farm has been transformed into modern tourist destination. fruit trees, soft fruits, vegetables farm, chicken barn and the farmhouse stands in same location. where as, camping field, solar panels, holiday cottages and two parking space have been newly added.

In 1950, track has passed from north-west to east direction. On the north a large sheep farm was located, farms of fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables were situated on west, where as, a barn, farmhouse and chicken barn were placed on south.

In present time, farms , farmhouse, chicken barn lies on the same place however, track was replaced by new road, on the north camping field for tourist, solar panel for power and two parking place has been made instead of old sheep farm, farmhouse and chicken barn are not replaced but the barn was converted into holiday cottages and a new small barn lies on south of the road.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the farm's transformation, identifying key changes such as the addition of the camping field, solar panels, and holiday cottages. However, the report lacks precision in describing the spatial layout. For example, the description of the 'track' and the location of the new barn is somewhat vague. While the main trends are identified, the comparison between the 1950 layout and the current site could be more analytical. The summary is functional but lacks the depth required for a higher band, as some details are slightly inaccurate or confusingly presented.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The use of cohesive devices such as 'overall', 'in 1950', and 'in present time' helps to structure the information. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Some transitions, such as 'where as', are used incorrectly or too frequently, which makes the progression feel slightly mechanical. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within the paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the reader to understand the changes described. However, there is a lack of variety and some inaccuracies in word choice. For instance, 'at current time' is non-standard, and 'vegetables farm' should be 'vegetable farm'. The student relies on basic descriptive terms and misses opportunities to use more precise vocabulary related to maps and spatial changes, such as 'converted into', 'replaced by', or 'situated in the north-east corner'. The range is sufficient for the task but lacks the flexibility and precision required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include missing articles (e.g., 'track has passed'), subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'farmhouse and chicken barn lies'), and incorrect tense usage (e.g., 'track was replaced' instead of 'the track has been replaced'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the placement of commas. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the high frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band score.

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

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