Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-18
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 Beechwood Farm went through and and how it looks today.
Overall, it is clear that the farm went through significant developments on the north side of farm. The major upgradations are installing solar panels and building a camping field along with two parking spaces.
In 1950, the north side of the track was a sheep's field which now has other facilities such as solar panels on the top right corner and camping site with a tree planted is also built in the middle that shares it edges with main road and linking road. The the farm was having a small track that links the main facilities to the main road but now a road is built there. The barn was replaced with holiday cottages and a new facility for barn is built near the chickens area and also connected with road. There was no parking space available at farm and now two parking spaces are built one is on the left when you leave the main road and other is at the end of the linking road near solar panels. Lastly, a farm shop is also constructed near the main road in front of parking.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses the main features of the task by comparing the 1950 map of Beechwood Farm with its present-day layout. The response provides a clear overview highlighting the major transformations on the northern side, such as the addition of solar panels, a camping field, and parking spaces. Key spatial changes—including the conversion of the sheep field, the relocation of the barn, and the introduction of holiday cottages and a farm shop—are accurately reported and contrasted. However, there are minor omissions in detailing the southern agricultural plots, which are largely overlooked in favour of the northern and central developments. Despite this, the core requirements of Task 1 are met effectively, earning a solid band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged coherently with a logical progression from an introductory statement and general overview into detailed body paragraphs comparing specific features. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 1950', 'now', and 'Lastly' are employed to guide the reader through the temporal and spatial shifts. However, paragraphing is somewhat underdeveloped, as the body of the response is clumped into a single extended paragraph rather than being logically split into distinct thematic or area-based sections. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, as seen in expressions like 'shares it edges with main road and linking road' and minor grammatical repetitions that create slightly mechanical cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing map transformations, using terms such as 'significant developments', 'facilities', 'constructed', and 'replaced'. There are attempts to employ less common lexical items related to urban planning and structural changes. However, there are some noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'upgradations' (which is non-standard) and awkward phrasing like 'new facility for barn'. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher band levels.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and temporal markers (e.g., 'The maps illustrate the changes Beechwood Farm went through...'). There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text, including article omissions and minor redundancies (e.g., 'The the farm was having', 'shares it edges', 'at farm'). Punctuation is generally functional, but structural clumsiness sometimes obscures meaning. While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they occur with enough frequency to cap the score at this level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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