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 given map illustrates the information about the area of a farm in 1950 and in nowadays.
Overall, it is crystal clear that there are various changes occurred in site instead of fruit trees, soft fruit, vegetables, chicken and farmhouse.
To begin with, in 1950 there was a sheep
in north side of Beechwood farm while in these days there are various things which get introduced for instance parking, camping field and solar panels at the place of sheep. Moreover, track get developed to road since 1950. However river which is situated in south side of beechwood farm remain unchanged.
Moving towards rest of the data, in the north west side of the farm there was a fruit trees. Nevertheless today there at the place a farm shop get installed where soft fruits and vegetables are on the place as in 1950. But barn get transfered to a point where two roads join. At the place of yarn holiday cottages are manufactured. At last, farmhouse and chickens are at same place as in 1950
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, such as the introduction of the camping field, solar panels, and the farm shop. However, the overview is weak; it lacks a clear summary of the most significant trends, such as the transition from a purely agricultural site to a more commercial and tourism-oriented one. Some details are slightly inaccurate or confusing, such as the mention of 'sheep' in the north, which is not clearly depicted, and the description of the barn relocation is somewhat vague. To improve, ensure the overview highlights the most striking changes rather than just listing features.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'Moving towards rest of the data' is an unnatural transition, and the use of 'Nevertheless' and 'However' is sometimes forced. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'at the place of yarn', which makes it difficult to follow the spatial progression of the description. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will help the flow of ideas significantly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and sophistication. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'in nowadays', 'get introduced', and 'get transfered'. The term 'yarn' appears to be a misuse of vocabulary, and 'manufactured' is not the most appropriate word for holiday cottages. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations related to map descriptions, such as 'converted into', 'replaced by', or 'remained unchanged'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures and contains frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('track get developed', 'barn get transfered'), incorrect tense usage, and missing articles ('in north side', 'at the place of sheep'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the persistent errors in basic grammar and the lack of complex sentence structures limit the score. Focusing on consistent tense usage (past for 1950, present for today) and improving sentence variety would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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