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 today, a farm shop. It is near the two-lane highway, built inside the fruit trees area. Futhermore, 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 summarises the main changes between the 1950 map and the current plan of Beechwood Farm. An overview is provided at the beginning ("Overall, many facilities were added and the track was renewed as a road"), and key spatial developments such as the camping field, solar panels, farm shop, and holiday cottages are reported. However, some misinterpretations occur in the body paragraphs, such as claiming the old barn was transformed into holiday cottages (when the map shows holiday cottages built separately near the road and the old barn relocated or reconfigured) and mislocating the new barn relative to the farmhouse and chickens. Furthermore, the final sentences drift into speculation ("Futhermore, this can support visitors to buy fresh and natural products"), which is not shown on the visual data. These minor inaccuracies and speculative elements prevent the response from achieving a higher band, placing it solidly at Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized logically with an introductory sentence outlining the overall transformation. Cohesive devices and directional markers are used to guide the reader through the map ("Up the road", "Behind the cottages", "Additionally"), though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or abrupt. The text suffers slightly from being presented as a single dense paragraph rather than being divided into logical paragraphs for different areas of the site (e.g., separating the northern/western developments from the eastern/southern accommodation and farm buildings). Paragraphing is not used sufficiently to structure the comparisons, which impacts the overall flow. Nevertheless, the progression of information remains generally clear and easy to follow throughout, justifying a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range suitable for describing physical changes on a map, utilizing terms such as "transformed", "converted", "facilities", and "conveniently". However, there are instances of awkward phrasing or imprecise word choices, such as "the new guest place was converted into solar panels" (solar panels are installed rather than converted from a guest place) and the spelling error "Futhermore". Less common lexical items are attempted, but their control is inconsistent. While vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main features of the maps, the lexical control contains noticeable slips that restrict the score to a Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., "where the side near soft fruits was designed into a camping field"). There are several grammatical inaccuracies and awkward structures, such as "was designed into" (instead of 'was designated as' or 'was turned into') and issues with article usage and prepositions. While these errors occur regularly, they rarely impede overall communication, and the meaning of the sentences remains discernible. Because the grammatical range is moderately varied but accuracy is inconsistent, a Band 6.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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