Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-25
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 5.0)
The provided maps illustrate the information about the transformations that took place in the hydoelectric power plant over the span of 20 years commenced with the year 1990.
In the North side, there were forest, Ancient structure and area for rare plants and animals in northwest, in the beginning year. Later, all these were abolished by constructing a lake in the middle part while boats and mountains remained same, in the year 2010. Villages, in the northeast side were replaced by hotel in 2010.
With regards to South side, a river in the central area from top north to deep south, which got half after transformation [2010] the whole hydroelectric plant and named by hydeoelectric dam.
The dam covers whole activities of hydroelectric plants. The electricity panels were engaged in the left side of dam and villages with some few filter panels got constructed on the right side in the year, 2010.
Overall, the hydroelectric power plant was developed by adding numerous facilities in this zone.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to describe the changes between the two maps, but it fails to accurately interpret the visual data. The introduction incorrectly identifies the subject as a 'hydroelectric power plant' and misinterprets the dates (1950 vs. today). The description of the changes is fragmented and lacks a clear overview of the most significant transformations, such as the conversion of the forest and village areas into a reservoir and dam. Key features are mentioned, but the lack of precision in describing the spatial layout and the nature of the changes makes it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of the site's development.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical flow is weak. The use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'In the North side' and 'With regards to South side', which do not effectively link the information. The progression of ideas is disjointed, and the referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when describing the location of the new facilities. While there is an attempt at an overall summary, it is too brief and does not adequately synthesise the information presented in the body paragraphs.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and often inaccurate. There are several instances of incorrect word choice, such as 'abolished' to describe the removal of trees, and 'engaged' to describe the placement of electricity panels. The term 'hydeoelectric' is misspelled. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to describe the changes with precision, relying on basic descriptors that do not capture the technical nature of the site's transformation. To improve, you should focus on learning topic-specific vocabulary related to map descriptions, such as 'demolished', 'converted', 'expanded', and 'integrated'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with article usage ('in the beginning year', 'in the middle part'), prepositional errors ('in the North side'), and sentence structure. Many sentences are awkward or incomplete, such as 'a river in the central area... which got half after transformation'. While there is an attempt to use complex structures, they are often faulty, leading to a lack of control over grammar and punctuation. A focus on basic sentence construction and subject-verb agreement would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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