Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-23
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 map illustrates the development that took place in Beechwood Farm from 1950 to today.
Over all, it is clear that the farm underwent significant changes with constructed road and building solar panels are being the most noticeable developments. In addition adding new facilities and fruit trees,soft fruits and vegetables remained unchanged.
Looking at the details that, Track which were covered the whole farm from the middle was replaced with road and a new barn was build nearby the road. Furthermore sheep place was reconstructed and divided into two sections one is for camping and another is for solar panels. Another notable change was replacement of bern with holiday cottages and farmhouse and area for chickens remained unchanged throughout the whole period.
Turing to the remaining feature that two new car parking were introduced ,one is just by the main road and another is the end of the middle road near solar panels area. Also a new farm shop was introduced just infront of the parking on the main road.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| 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, solar panels, and holiday cottages. However, the overview is slightly confusing; stating that 'fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables remained unchanged' is inaccurate, as the layout of these areas clearly shifted or was repurposed. Additionally, the description of the 'sheep place' being divided into two sections is a good observation, but the overall summary lacks a clear, cohesive synthesis of the transformation. While the main features are addressed, the lack of precision in describing the spatial changes prevents a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of the description. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In addition', 'Furthermore', and 'Turning to', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'Looking at the details that, Track which were covered the whole farm'. The paragraphing is appropriate for the task, but the flow between sentences is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and grammatical errors, which makes the progression feel less smooth than it could be.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the changes (e.g., 'reconstructed', 'introduced', 'significant changes'). However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'sheep place' instead of 'sheep pen' or 'pasture', and 'replacement of bern' (likely a typo for 'barn'). The range is somewhat limited, and the student relies on basic descriptors. To improve, the student should focus on more precise terminology for map descriptions, such as 'converted into', 'demolished', or 'extended'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Examples include 'Track which were covered the whole farm' (incorrect relative clause), 'a new barn was build' (incorrect verb form), and 'two new car parking were introduced' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with missing spaces after commas and periods. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction 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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