Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-17
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 two maps show two different sites of Beechwood Farm in 1950 and at present. Overall, many facilities were added and the track was renewed as a road. The most significant change is the sheep area, the side near soft fruits was designed into a camping field, while the new guest place was converted into solar panels. Also, two parking areas were built for farm guests’ traffic. The old barn now is transformed into three holiday cottages. Behind the cottages, the farmhouse and chicken area remain as usual. And the new barn is located in a converge road near chickens, but it is smaller than in the past. Up the road, from vegetables to fruit trees, there is one change in today, a farm shop. It is near the two-lane highway, built inside the fruit trees area. Otherwise, this can support visitors to buy fresh and natural products. Additionaly, people living close can buy local food more conveniently.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers the main features of the maps comparing Beechwood Farm in 1950 and today. The response successfully highlights key transformations such as the replacement of the sheep area with a camping field and solar panels, the addition of parking areas, and the conversion of the barn into holiday cottages. However, there are some minor factual misinterpretations, such as stating the new barn is smaller when the map only shows its new position, and claiming the old barn was transformed into three holiday cottages when four are shown. The overview is slightly brief and integrated directly into the introduction. Overall, the response addresses the prompt adequately, achieving a solid Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay has a clear overall arrangement and attempts to sequence the changes logically from west to east across the farm site. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'while', 'Also', and 'Otherwise', although some transitions feel a bit mechanical or awkward in context. Paragraphing is weak, as the entire response is presented as a single block of text rather than being divided into an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of paragraph breaks limits the logical flow and organisational score. This performance corresponds to a Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms related to maps and farm features such as 'facilities', 'converted into', 'solar panels', 'holiday cottages', and 'farm shop'. There are some awkward word choices and phrasing, such as 'the new guest place was converted' and 'converge road', which detract from precision. Spelling is generally accurate, but the lexical range lacks the more sophisticated, precise collocations required for higher bands. The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The two maps show two different sites...' and 'The most significant change is the sheep area, the side near soft fruits was designed into a camping field...' (which contains a comma splice). There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout, including 'was designed into' instead of 'was converted into', 'the side near soft fruits', and 'Up the road, from vegetables to fruit trees, there is one change in today'. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.0. Therefore, a Band 5.5 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.