Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-01
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 given diagrams of a beechwood farm shows how they looked in 1950 and the same place now.
Overall, it is evident that the area got upgrades on lot of places. Such as the whole area where sheep were kept has now become a camping trip. Moreover, the new places have been introduced as well like solar panels, barn and many more.
Firstly, the road which crossed over the river is still the same and track which continues from it all over the farm hasn't changed a bit. Consequently, the fruit trees are still on the same place, but a new farm shop has been opened there. And the other farming areas near it like the locations where soft fruits and vegetables are grown is still the same. Although, the area where sheep were kept has been exchanged by a camping field and a parking lot has been created alongside the road as well.
Additionally, in the half area solar panels have been implemented. And on the end of a corner road a barn has been created, and the longest barn has been replaced by holiday cottages. Whereas farmhouse and the space where chickens are kept is still the same. And an additional parking has been introduced below the panels as well.
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 farm's transformation, including the addition of solar panels, holiday cottages, and parking areas. However, the overview is somewhat weak; it describes the changes as 'upgrades' rather than focusing on the spatial and functional shifts. While the key features are identified, the comparison between 1950 and the present could be more precise. For instance, stating that the 'whole area where sheep were kept has now become a camping trip' is slightly inaccurate as it is a camping site, not a trip. Overall, the response addresses the task requirements adequately but lacks a more analytical approach to the data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, moving from an overview to specific details. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Firstly', 'Consequently', and 'Additionally' are used to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel forced. For example, the use of 'Consequently' to introduce the fact that the road has not changed is logically disconnected. Referencing is generally clear, but the paragraphing could be improved to better group the changes by location or type of development to enhance the overall progression of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. Phrases like 'got upgrades on lot of places' and 'hasn't changed a bit' are too informal for an Academic Task 1 report. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'camping trip' instead of 'campsite' and 'exchanged by' instead of 'replaced by'. While the student successfully uses terms like 'solar panels' and 'holiday cottages', the range is limited, and the tone is more conversational than academic. Improving the use of precise descriptive language would significantly raise the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('The given diagrams... shows'), incorrect preposition usage ('on the end of a corner road'), and awkward phrasing ('in the half area solar panels have been implemented'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall quality of the writing. A greater focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and sentence structure would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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