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 two illustrations exhibit the location of a beechwood farm in 1950 and the same place today.
Overall, in past the farm had minimum number of features while in present there are alot of significant changes can be seen.
It is clear evident from the figures that the farm is situated at the bank of river and in 1950 it had only six main portions. There were fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetales at the left side of the river that combined with the road. Along the curved side of river there was a farmhouse contained chickens and barn portion and at the top right of the location there was an area for sheeps.
Furthermore, the same site has alot of different changes now, as around the farmhouse we can see holiday cottages, parking, and at the corner of the site there are four solar panels. Besides this, at the centre of the place there are two camping fields and a tree and triangluar road has a barn at its mid. Similarly, there is also an addition of farm shop and a parking at the left side of river.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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 both maps, identifying key changes such as the addition of holiday cottages, solar panels, and the farm shop. However, the description of the 1950 layout is slightly inaccurate; for instance, the text mentions 'vegetables' and 'soft fruits' as separate areas, whereas the map labels them as 'fruit trees' and 'soft fruits'. Additionally, the description of the 'triangular road' is a bit vague. While the main features are reported, the comparison between the two time periods could be more analytical rather than just listing changes. The overview is present but could be more effectively integrated to highlight the transformation from a purely agricultural site to a more commercial/tourist-oriented one.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, moving from an introduction and overview to the 1950 layout and then the current layout. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Besides this', and 'Similarly' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'that combined with the road', which does not clearly describe the spatial relationship on the map. The progression of information is generally logical, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be tighter to improve the flow of comparisons.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing for a basic description of the map features. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and spelling errors, such as 'alot' (should be 'a lot'), 'vegetales' (vegetables), 'sheeps' (sheep), and 'triangluar' (triangular). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, relying on basic descriptors. To achieve a higher band, you should incorporate more precise geographical and descriptive language, such as 'situated on the riverbank', 'transformed into', or 'replaced by', rather than relying on simple sentence structures.
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 detract from the overall quality. Examples include 'in past the farm had minimum number' (missing articles), 'there are alot of significant changes can be seen' (incorrect verb structure), and 'farmhouse contained chickens' (should be 'contained a chicken coop' or similar). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. More attention to subject-verb agreement, article usage, and sentence construction is necessary to improve the accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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