Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-14

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 changes in a Beechwood farm area in 1950 and today. It is evident that the farm site has evolved significantly with many facilities.

Its location remains same beside the main road. Similarly, the land for growing fruits and vegetables and nurturing chickens has not altered. The farmhouse is still in the same location. In 1950, there was a large area for sheep farming on the northeast side. However, currently there are no sheep on the farm, and this area has been replaced with facilities, including parking, a camping field, and solar panels. Moreover, the location of the barn has also been changed and replaced with Holiday cottages. Now it is near the river, linked to the junction road. There are noticeable changes regarding the presence of trees because there were no trees on the farm in 1950.

It is observed that Beechwood Farm had a lot of open space, and now it has turned into a busy area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses the prompt by summarising the main features and making relevant comparisons between the 1950 Beechwood farm plan and the present-day layout. Key developments are identified, such as the replacement of sheep farming with solar panels and a camping field, and the introduction of holiday cottages and trees. However, some areas could be extended further; for instance, the description lacks precise spatial detail regarding the relative positions of the new structures. Overall, all parts of the task are addressed adequately, placing this response comfortably at Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from the general overview to specific comparisons. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body details, and concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as 'Similarly', 'However', and 'Moreover' are employed to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Referencing is generally clear, as seen when the student contrasts the 1950 sheep farming area with current facilities. With smoother cohesive linking, the score could be higher, but it meets the standard for Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating terms like 'evolved significantly', 'facilities', and 'presence of trees'. There are some successful attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'nurturing chickens' and 'solar panels'. However, occasional word-choice and collocation issues appear, such as 'location remains same beside' (missing an article) and 'location of the barn has also been changed and replaced with Holiday cottages' (awkward capitalisation and phrasing). The vocabulary is sufficient for communication, corresponding to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including relative clauses and transitional structures like 'In 1950, there was a large area for sheep farming...'. Grammatical control is generally decent, but there are noticeable errors such as 'location remains same' missing the article 'the', and repetitive sentence openings. Punctuation is mostly accurate, and these minor errors rarely impede communication. This balance of structures and error frequency aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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