Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-31
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 maps illustrate the area of a beechwood farm in 1950 and the current situation today.
Overall, the sheep site is totally eliminate from beechwood farm and area is cover with solar panels and camping field. In 1950, the barn was located at the end of track however , in current situation the barn is placed at the intersection of track. And there are no alteration in fruit tree, soft fruit, and vegetables.
In 1950, the beechwood farm was simply designed and had not numerous facilities. A massive area was covered with sheep. On the other side of track, there were fruit trees, soft fruits, and vegetables along the bank of river. After the roundabout of track, a petite site filled with barn, farmhouse and chickens.
However, at the current situation the beechwood farm has taken some alterations and addition of some things such a parking area, farm shop, camping field, solar panels, and holidays cottage area that splits into three parts. Now the sheep era is eliminated from the farm and there is situated camping field and solar panels. The farm shop is located near the fruit trees. The barn has changed their location and in present stand at the roundabout of track. The chickens and farmhouse remains stable at their location.
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 removal of sheep, the addition of solar panels, and the relocation of the barn. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; for instance, the sheep were not 'totally eliminated' from the farm, but rather the area previously used for sheep was repurposed. Additionally, the description of the barn's location is somewhat confusingly phrased as 'intersection of track' and 'roundabout of track'. While the main trends are identified, the report would benefit from more precise spatial language to clearly distinguish between the 1950 layout and the current site.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, moving from an overview to specific details. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In 1950', 'However', and 'On the other side', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'And there are no alteration' starting a new sentence. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences is occasionally interrupted by grammatical errors that make the progression feel slightly disjointed. Overall, the structure is sufficient to follow the comparison, but it lacks the sophisticated flow required for a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the features of the farm. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'intersection' and 'repurposed' (implied), but word choice is often imprecise or unnatural, such as 'sheep era' instead of 'sheep farming' or 'sheep grazing area'. There are also minor errors in word form, such as 'no alteration' instead of 'no alterations'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, it lacks the precision and flexibility needed for a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the barn has changed their location', 'area is cover'), article misuse ('at the roundabout of track'), and awkward phrasing ('the sheep era is eliminated'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall message, they are frequent enough to impact the fluency of the writing. A wider range of error-free complex structures is needed to reach the next band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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