Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-19
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 rendered map depicts the information about the site of a farm in 1950 and the same site at the present time.
Overall, the major change experience in north- east side in farm, while there is no change in the farmhouse and chickens.
In detail, the north-west side had the road in 1950. The Northeast side had the large sheep farm. Fruits trees and soft fruits were located in the between river and track. Vegetable shops located in the centre of the farm.Afterthat, barn land located in the east side and added farmhouse and chickens area.In the middle of the site farm developed a large track.
In case of farmsite changes, in the present time fruit trees added with farm shop and soft fruitsand vegetables located in the same place. In the north side covered eith small parking area and added with camping field. In the norteast side many solar panels expanded with parking. In the south-east side farmhouse and chickens and now added with holiday cottages.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the maps, such as the addition of solar panels, holiday cottages, and the camping field. However, the description is somewhat disjointed and lacks a clear, analytical approach. Some details are inaccurate or confusing, such as the mention of 'vegetable shops' in the centre, which is not clearly supported by the visual data. The overview is present but lacks sufficient detail to fully capture the extent of the transformation. To improve, ensure that the summary clearly contrasts the 1950 layout with the current one, focusing on the most significant changes rather than listing every minor detail.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical flow between sentences is often weak. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical or misused, such as 'Afterthat' (which is not a standard transition) and 'In case of farmsite changes'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the spatial progression of the site. Improving the use of linking words (e.g., 'subsequently', 'in contrast', 'furthermore') and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would significantly enhance the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'major change experience in north- east side' and 'barn land'. The student relies on basic descriptive language and struggles with accurate collocations related to map description. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more precise terminology for describing changes, such as 'transformed', 'converted', 'expanded', or 'replaced', and ensure that nouns and adjectives are used correctly in context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include missing articles ('the' before 'north-east side'), incorrect preposition usage ('in the between river'), and subject-verb agreement errors ('Vegetable shops located'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing after commas and periods. While the meaning is generally understandable, these persistent errors interfere with the fluency of the writing. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for articles and prepositions would help improve the accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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