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 two plans shows the changes and development that has been made to the Beechwood Farm between 1950 and at the present.

Overall, it can be seen that the whole agricultural land has changed and been developed to a commercial tourism and acquired for reneweable resource space. It can be seen that a paven track has been completely tranformed to a well developed road.

In the northern and eastern part of the farm where there were sheeps is toally replaced by the Camping field and solar panels and also there is two parking provided.

In the southern part of the farm there is a farm shop constructed just beside a fruit trees. Soft fruits, vegetables, farmhouse and the area for chicken remains as it was in 1950. The Barn is shifted to the end of the road junction. There is a Holiday cottage newly developed just adjacent to the parking of the solar Panels.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the maps, identifying key changes such as the addition of solar panels, the camping field, and the farm shop. However, the report lacks a clear, analytical overview of the most significant trends, such as the shift from purely agricultural use to a mix of tourism and renewable energy. Some details are slightly inaccurate or confusing, such as the claim that the farmhouse and chicken area remain unchanged, when the map shows the chicken area has been replaced by the farm shop. To reach a higher band, ensure that comparisons between the two time periods are more precise and that the overview highlights the primary transformation of the site.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on different areas of the farm. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In the northern and eastern part' and 'In the southern part', which help guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions between sentences are abrupt. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression of ideas could be improved by grouping the changes more thematically rather than just geographically, which would create a more cohesive narrative of the site's development.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with terms like 'agricultural land', 'commercial tourism', and 'renewable resource' used correctly. However, there are several spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'paven' (paved), 'tranformed' (transformed), 'sheeps' (sheep), and 'toally' (totally). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the score. To improve, focus on accurate spelling and using more precise collocations, such as 'converted into' rather than 'acquired for' when describing land use changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The two plans shows') and incorrect verb forms ('has been made', 'is toally replaced'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure is occasionally repetitive. While the meaning is clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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

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