Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-21
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 site of a farm named as Beechwood Farm in 1950and the same site at present.
Overall, the site change significantly over the time period. Present map demonstrates the changes which were not present in the past such as Parking, Camping field, solar panels and Farm shop.
In 1950, mostly area covered by the sheep across the track which was passing through east to west of the site. On the other side of the track, farm was devided inti three parts named as Fruit trees, Soft fruits and vegetables. In the south-west of the farm, there was a Barn, farmhouse and a place covered by fence where they kept some chickens. The river was passing through the farm from south-east to north-south.
Today's Farm is fully advanced with different facilities such as solar panel, holidays cottages and parking. The track has changed in Road and the barn is relocated at the end of the triangular road. Moreover, in the place of Barn Holidays cottages has introduced. The sheep devided into two parts in which solar panels and camping fiels has established. And the parking also located in the corner of the camping field.
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 attempts to address the task by comparing the two maps of Beechwood Farm from 1950 and the present day. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting key additions such as parking, camping fields, solar panels, and a farm shop. However, the development of ideas is limited, and there are several minor inaccuracies or missing details regarding spatial relationships. For instance, the student states that 'the river was passing through the farm from south-east to north-south', whereas the map shows it flowing along the western and southern boundaries. Furthermore, some descriptions lack precision, such as stating the sheep area was divided into two parts where solar panels and camping fields were established. Despite these shortcomings, the main features are selected and reported, meeting the criteria for Band 5.5 to 6.0. Because the response covers all parts of the task with relevant ideas, a band score of 6.0 is appropriate.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing past and present features. Overall, the essay has a coherent structure, and the progression of information is generally logical. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or awkwardly used, as seen in phrases like 'Present map demonstrates' and 'Today's Farm is fully advanced'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of details could be managed more effectively to ensure a smoother flow between past and present comparisons. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as pronoun use and missing articles (e.g., 'the sheep devided into two parts'). These issues place the response firmly in Band 6.0, as the overall arrangement is coherent despite faults in cohesion and referencing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common words and phrases related to map interpretation, such as 'relocated', 'triangular road', and 'facilities'. However, there are noticeable lexical and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'devided' instead of 'divided', 'fiels' instead of 'fields', and awkward phrasing like 'place of Barn Holidays cottages has introduced'. Word choice is sometimes imprecise, such as referring to the conversion of the track as 'The track has changed in Road'. While these errors do not impede communication, they restrict the lexical score to Band 5.5, reflecting a mix of adequate vocabulary and frequent slips in word formation and spelling.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'the track which was passing through east to west of the site'). However, grammatical control is inconsistent, with frequent errors in verb tense, article usage, and prepositions. Examples include 'the site change significantly over the time period' (tense error), 'mostly area covered by the sheep' (missing verb and article), and 'in the place of Barn Holidays cottages has introduced' (passive voice error). Punctuation and word order errors also occur (e.g., '1950and'). These recurrent errors occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader, aligning the grammar with the Band 5.5 descriptors due to the frequent inaccuracies in complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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