Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-13
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 plan illustrates the comparison between a site of a farm from 1950 and the current date.
In 1950, the farm consisted of a few sites with simple routes, along the track the main farms such as fruit trees farm, soft tree farm, and a vegetable farm, riht along those farms existed a chicken derby with farmhouse and a barn, over the other side of the track was a large sheep farm.
The newer plan proposes a much more crowded plan with the addidtion of other sites, now along those trees and vegetable farms theres a farm shop as well that makes the process of selling easier, the location of barn changed and is now exists near the chicken farm, the previous location of barn is now replaed witha holiday cottage, the are opposite the farms used to have a sheep farm but the newwr plans shows no signs of a sheep farm instead shows an expansion in the facilities by having a parking, a camping felid for the expierience of people who are visiting the farm and solar panels.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses the prompt by outlining the main features of the farm in 1950 and comparing them with the current layout. Key changes, such as the replacement of the sheep farm with a car park, camping field, and solar panels, as well as the addition of a farm shop and holiday cottage, are correctly identified. The overview, although slightly integrated into the body, captures the general transformation from an agricultural space to a more commercialised and visitor-oriented site. While some details could be more thoroughly contrasted, the response adequately covers all parts of the visual data. Therefore, this performance aligns well with the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text is divided into an introduction and two body paragraphs, providing a coherent overall arrangement. However, the progression is somewhat hindered by run-on sentences and a lack of proper punctuation, particularly in the second body paragraph where multiple clauses are joined together comma-spliced (e.g., 'now along those trees and vegetable farms theres a farm shop as well that makes the process of selling easier, the location of barn changed...'). Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes repetitive. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs needs better structural control. These features place the response firmly at Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe common features like 'fruit trees farm', 'barn', and 'solar panels'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, such as 'riht' instead of 'right', 'derby' instead of 'derby/dairy' or enclosure, 'addidtion', 'replaed', 'felid', and 'expierience'. Less common lexical items are attempted but often marred by inaccuracies, which can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. This level of lexical control corresponds to a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is weak. The writing suffers from severe run-on sentences, missing punctuation, and basic structural errors (e.g., 'the location of barn changed and is now exists', 'the newwr plans shows'). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are also inconsistent. While meaning is generally retrievable despite the frequent errors, the lack of accurate complex structures and punctuation keeps the score at a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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