Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-27
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 idea illustrates the place of a farm in 1950 and the same area today.
Overall, no major changes have been made near the river. Observable variations occur across the road into areas.
The Beechwood Farm had fewer places to work, which changed into more different places. The place of the river and main highway remained the same. A new farm shop has been made in the fruit trees area. Other places involving soft fruits and vegetables remained the same. On the other side, Chickens and Farmhouse have the same position from 1950 to today, but Barn has its new place right at the end of the road junction, and its original place has holiday cottages now.
The whole sheep area is now changed into a number of new places. Two parking spaces are now established at each end of the newly formed road that was a track before, with a large camping field. Solar panels has also installed besides the camping field.
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, including the key changes such as the conversion of the sheep area and the addition of the farm shop and camping facilities. However, the report lacks a clear, analytical overview. The introductory sentence is slightly inaccurate, referring to the 'idea' instead of the 'plans'. While the main features are identified, the description of the changes is somewhat fragmented and lacks a cohesive comparison between the two time periods. To improve, ensure that the overview highlights the most significant trends, such as the transition from agricultural land to commercial and leisure facilities, rather than just listing individual changes.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical. For example, the transition between the description of the farm buildings and the sheep area is abrupt. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'Observable variations occur across the road into areas,' which is vague. To reach a higher band, you should use a wider range of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'In contrast,' 'Furthermore,' 'As a result') to connect your ideas more fluidly and improve the logical progression of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on simple descriptors like 'places' and 'changed,' which are repetitive. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'The idea illustrates' instead of 'The plans illustrate' and 'Solar panels has also installed' (which is also a grammatical error). To improve, try to incorporate more specific vocabulary related to map descriptions, such as 'converted,' 'transformed,' 'replaced,' or 'situated.' Using more precise terminology will help you convey the changes more effectively and demonstrate a higher level of lexical control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. For instance, 'Solar panels has also installed' contains both a subject-verb agreement error and an incorrect passive voice construction. Additionally, 'The whole sheep area is now changed' would be better expressed as 'The sheep area has been converted.' While the meaning remains clear, these persistent errors in tense and voice limit the score. Focusing on consistent verb tenses and accurate passive voice construction will significantly improve your grammatical accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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