Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-21
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 maps illustrates the development of a farm site in 1950 and present time. Evidently, a site show significant changes of a farm site throughout the period.
In 1950, fruit trees are planted besides the main road. Soft fruits are grown thereafter the fruit trees. sheep contained the largest area of the farm. A river passed through major part of farm started from northern west corner to the east side. Farmhouse and Barn are located in the eastern side of the farm, involved chickens along with them.
After the development, considerable items such are farm shop, parking area , camping field, solar panels and holiday cottage are developed. Farm shop, Parking and camping field are structured in the North. However, another parking and holiday cottage constructed to the eastern side. In addition, barn is also added in the South, just between vegetables and chickens. there is no changed in the places which are located before.
Overall, a lot of areas such as parking, cottages ,camping field and solar panels are added, while other fields are remain unchanged such as fruit trees, soft fruits, vegetables and chickens.
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 maps, identifying the key changes such as the addition of the farm shop, parking, and holiday cottages. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear overview of the most significant trends, such as the shift from purely agricultural use to a more diversified, tourism-oriented site. While the main features are selected, the comparison between the two time periods could be more analytical. The mention of 'no changed' in the final paragraph is inaccurate, as the layout of the original fields has clearly been altered to accommodate the new facilities.
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. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In 1950', 'After the development', and 'Overall', but they are sometimes used in a slightly repetitive or mechanical way. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'there is no changed in the places which are located before', which creates confusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two time periods and the summary, which is a positive feature of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the farm features effectively. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'considerable items' and 'diversified' (implied), but the word choice is sometimes imprecise, for example, 'considerable items' is not a natural collocation in this context. There are also minor errors in word formation, such as 'no changed' instead of 'no change'. The range is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow, such as 'The given maps illustrates' (subject-verb agreement), 'sheep contained the largest area' (incorrect verb usage), and 'such are farm shop' (missing article/incorrect structure). Tense usage is generally consistent when describing the past, but the transition to the present is sometimes clunky. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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