Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-20
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 Diagram demonstrates the changes of a site farm from 1950 to recent site.
Overall, the Beechwood Farm site changes with time. In 1950 the farm has limited facilities but in recent year the farm is well improved.
In 1950, the farm has less facilities such as fruit tress along side the road. Moreover, the soft fruits and vegetables facilities. There is a track that connects the farm and make a triangle. Furthermore, adjacent to track there is farmhouse, barn and chickens farm.
In recent years, the farm has changed completely. Near the road the parking area is developed. Similarly, camping area are there. For electricity, they provide the solar panel plates to give energy to farm house and a parking area with the solar panels. The track has been converted to road and exchange the barn place located with a triangle shape. Holiday cottages are introduced there and below holiday cottages made the farmhouse which facilitate the tourists.
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 farm site in both 1950 and the present day. You successfully identify key changes such as the introduction of parking, solar panels, and holiday cottages. However, the report lacks a clear, analytical overview of the most significant transformations. While you mention the farm is 'well improved', a more detailed summary of the shift from agricultural production to tourism-focused facilities would strengthen the response. Some descriptions, such as 'exchange the barn place located with a triangle shape', are slightly confusing and do not accurately reflect the spatial changes shown in the diagrams. Greater precision in describing the layout and the specific nature of the developments is needed to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression from 1950 to the present. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'In recent years' to link ideas. However, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'below holiday cottages made the farmhouse'. The connection between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall readability. While the structure is generally coherent, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the occasional awkward phrasing limit the effectiveness of the cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You use words like 'facilities', 'developed', and 'converted', which are relevant, but there is a lack of more precise or academic vocabulary to describe geographical changes. Phrases like 'chickens farm' (should be 'chicken farm') and 'fruit tress' (spelling error) indicate a limited range. To improve, you should focus on using more specific terminology for describing site plans, such as 'transformed', 'replaced', 'repurposed', or 'integrated'. The current range is sufficient to convey the main points, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'The Diagram demonstrates the changes of a site farm' (should be 'the farm site') and 'the farm has less facilities' (should be 'fewer facilities'). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and verb tense consistency, particularly when describing the past versus the present. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. Increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement would significantly improve your score in this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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