Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-12
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 image compares the Beechwood Farm in 1950 with upgradation of farm today.
Overall, the Farm is modernized according to today's needs.The most significant feature is solar panels. Whereas, the track is converted into a road. In addition farm also provides facilities like camping, parking, holiday cottages, and fam shop.
In 1950, the farm was simple and plain. The north-east corner was completely allocated for sheeps. However in the center a track was made, there was a barn in the start of track below it a farmhouse and chickens occupied the area . In contrary the west corner below the track comprise of fruit trees, soft fruits, and vegetables.
On the other hand, today the farm is complex and consist of many modern items. Now the north-east corner was completely filled with solar panels, and camping field , whereas in the corners two parking slots are available.The track is built into strong road connected with a barn. A barn is replaced with holiday cottages, while a farm shop is opened beside the fruit tress. The whole farm is on the edge of river.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers the main features of the two maps, successfully identifying key changes such as the introduction of solar panels, the expansion of roads, and the conversion of the barn into holiday cottages. There is an overview paragraph that captures the general modernization of the farm. However, some details are slightly inaccurate or confusingly expressed, such as stating that 'a barn is replaced with holiday cottages' while also mentioning earlier that 'a barn is in the start of track' and later 'connected with a barn'. Despite these minor confusions, all parts of the prompt are addressed with relevant comparisons, earning a solid Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a logical overall progression, moving from an introduction and overview to specific descriptions of the 1950 layout and present layout. Paragraphing is utilized, separating the introduction, overview, past features, and present features. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or awkward, such as starting sentences with 'In contrary', 'On the other hand' inappropriately used for chronological comparisons, and 'Whereas'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun use referring back to the barn and track. Cohesion could be smoother and more precise, placing this aspect firmly at Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing maps and transformations, using terms like 'modernized', 'solar panels', 'holiday cottages', and 'fruit trees'. There are, however, several lexical errors and inappropriate word choices, such as 'upgradation' (instead of upgrading), 'sheeps' (instead of sheep), and misspelling 'tress' instead of trees. Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success. These errors do not impede overall communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'The north-east corner was completely allocated for sheeps'). However, there are numerous grammatical errors involving tense consistency, articles, and prepositions, such as 'Now the north-east corner was completely filled' (tense shift), 'in the start of track' (at the start of the track), and 'comprise of' (comprises). Punctuation errors also appear, such as missing spaces after periods. While communication is not severely hindered, the frequency of errors prevents the score from rising above Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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