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, where 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 has now been transformed into three holiday cottages. Behind the cottages, the farmhouse and chicken area remain unchanged. And the new barn is located in a converging 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. Futherrmore, this can support visitors to buy fresh and natural products. Additionally, people living close can buy local food more conveniently.
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 student successfully covers the main features of the maps, comparing Beechwood Farm in 1950 with its current layout. The overview notes the addition of facilities and the transformation of the track into a road. Key developments such as the camping field, holiday cottages, solar panels, and the farm shop are identified and reported. However, some descriptions are slightly imprecise or confused regarding spatial relationships, such as the statement that the 'new guest place was converted into solar panels' or that the new barn is smaller. Furthermore, the final sentences slip into speculation and opinion (explaining why a farm shop is helpful) rather than strictly reporting visual data as required in Academic Task 1. Nonetheless, all parts of the prompt are addressed, supporting a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response shows a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and logical progression moving through the various areas of the farm. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'while', 'Also', and 'Additionally'. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped; the entire body of the report is clumped into a single block of text following the introduction, lacking proper separation of ideas. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the ambiguous pronoun use in 'this can support visitors'. While logical progression is maintained throughout, the lack of structured paragraphing prevents the response from achieving a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms like 'facilities', 'camping field', 'solar panels', 'holiday cottages', and 'farm shop'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices and collocations are awkward or inaccurate, such as 'renewed as a road', 'new guest place', and the spelling error 'Futherrmore'. Word formation issues also appear, such as 'converging road'. Despite these limitations, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main message without impeding the reader's overall understanding, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing passive structures appropriately ('were added', 'were built', 'has now been transformed') to describe changes over time. Control over grammar and punctuation is generally adequate; however, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'where the side near soft fruits was designed into a camping field' (intended for designated or converted) and 'is located in a converging road near chickens'. Errors do not impede overall communication, but the presence of frequent minor structural and prepositional inaccuracies keeps the score at Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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