Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-22
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 illustrate the developmental changes at Beechwood Farm over the years.
In the year 1950, there was track that branched off from the main highway. It has now changed into a road. Between the newly built road, there were fields of fruit tress, soft fruits, vegetables, farm house and a small fenced areas for chickens that are still present to this today except for a little addition of farm shop in the fruit trees section. Just infront of farm shop and across the road. there is a newly designed parking area on some land that was used to be a field for the sheep. Other changes in the sheep area are the addition of camping field and solar panels side by side. the solar panel section also host another parking area.
Just across the road and infront of sheep field, there used to be a barn in 1950, that is now shifted beside farmhouse where two road links to form a triangle. The place of old barn now houses newly built holiday cottages.
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 key changes such as the road development, the addition of the farm shop, camping area, and solar panels. However, the overview is missing; a summary of the most significant trends (e.g., the transition from a purely agricultural site to a more commercial and leisure-oriented one) is essential for a higher band. Additionally, some descriptions are slightly confusing, such as the location of the barn and the parking areas, which makes the comparison less clear. To improve, ensure you provide a clear summary paragraph at the beginning and use more precise spatial language to describe the layout changes.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into three paragraphs, which is a logical approach. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For example, the transition 'Just infront of farm shop and across the road. there is...' contains a punctuation error that disrupts the flow. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when describing the movement of the barn and the new parking locations. Improving the use of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in contrast') and ensuring better paragraph transitions would help the information flow more naturally.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, using terms like 'developmental changes', 'branched off', and 'solar panels'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'tress' (spelling), 'that are still present to this today', and 'that is now shifted'. These errors do not impede communication, but they limit the range of vocabulary. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations for describing map changes, such as 'replaced by', 'converted into', or 'situated to the north of'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'there was track' (missing article), 'that are still present to this today' (incorrect preposition), and 'that was used to be a field' (incorrect verb tense). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several sentence fragments and misplaced periods. While the meaning remains clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct article usage would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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