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 comparison in the infrastructure of Beechwood farm in the current time and in 1950.

Overall, the basic layout of the beechwood farm had remained same. Meanwhile, there are additional modifications has been introduced such as roads in place of tracks, camping fields, Solar panels, parkings and Holiday Cottages.

To commence with, the recent farm had some significant changes such as solar panels, and Camping field and two parkings in the northeast direction which is not existed in the year 1950. Furthermore, the places such as fruit trees, soft fruits, Chickens, Vegetables and farmhouse remained stable in their original locations Moving ahead, Barn had been replaced with Holiday cottages and whereas barn had been attached with the road at the southeast end.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement score. While you identified some key features, the description is quite brief and lacks a detailed comparison of the changes. For instance, you mention the solar panels and camping fields but do not describe their specific locations or the scale of the changes effectively. To improve, ensure you provide a more comprehensive overview of the spatial changes and include more specific details about the layout to meet the length requirement and provide a more thorough summary of the provided maps.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into three short paragraphs, which is a logical structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'To commence with', 'Moving ahead'). The flow between sentences is occasionally disjointed, particularly in the final paragraph where the description of the barn and holiday cottages feels rushed. To improve, try to use a wider range of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus, allowing for a smoother transition between the different areas of the farm.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is somewhat limited and repetitive. You use basic terms like 'remained stable' and 'significant changes'. There are also some minor errors in word choice and capitalization, such as 'beechwood' (should be capitalized) and 'parkings' (parking is an uncountable noun in this context). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise descriptive language related to maps, such as 'transformed', 'converted', 'situated', or 'adjacent to', and avoid using non-standard plural forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains several grammatical errors that affect clarity. For example, 'the basic layout... had remained same' is missing an article, and 'there are additional modifications has been introduced' contains a subject-verb agreement error. Additionally, 'which is not existed' is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'which did not exist'. While you attempt some complex structures, the frequent errors in tense and verb agreement suggest a need for more careful proofreading. Focusing on consistent verb tenses when describing past versus present states is essential for this type of task.

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

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