Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-22
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 daigram illustrates the farm site in 1950 and a revised version of same place nowadays.
Overall, the new version is more developed and occupied with extra facilities compared to the older site with more open space and limited facilities.
Looking into the details, in 1950 there were small tracks which now replaced by roads, in addition to a barn at the end of roads. A farm shop is addedd into revised farm in the right side of fruit trees. Moreover, the soft fruits , vegetables, chickens and farmhouse remained in place in today's vesrion. However, the bar was replaced by holiday cottages.
The sheep area from 1950 version showed major development, for example, solar panels were implanted for energy puposes, two parking places were built on both sides of the space. Similarly, a camping field was built in the middle area for tenting.
In conclusion, the site of farm undergoes some major development in the recent era copmared to its version in 1950.
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 response successfully addresses all parts of the task by comparing the two maps of Beechwood Farm in 1950 and today. An overview is provided, noting that the new version is more developed and equipped with extra facilities. Key changes are reported, such as the addition of a farm shop, holiday cottages, solar panels, parking areas, and a camping field, while features like the farmhouse, soft fruits, and vegetables largely remained in place. However, there are minor inaccuracies in reporting; for instance, the text states that 'the bar [barn] was replaced by holiday cottages,' whereas the original map shows a new block of holiday cottages built near the road while the original barn remains in the southern section. Overall, the main features and comparisons are adequately covered, satisfying the criteria for Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into clear paragraphs, starting with an introductory sentence, followed by body paragraphs detailing specific structural changes, and concluding with a summary. Cohesive devices and transitional phrases such as 'Looking into the details', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' are used to structure the text. However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, and the logical progression between paragraphs could be smoother. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the introduction, details, and conclusion, resulting in a coherent overall arrangement that fits the Band 6 descriptor well.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to maps and geographical changes, such as 'developed', 'facilities', 'replaced', and 'implanted'. There are, however, several spelling and word choice errors, including 'daigram' instead of 'diagram', 'addedd' instead of 'added', 'vesrion' instead of 'version', 'puposes' instead of 'purposes', and 'copmared' instead of 'compared'. While these errors do not impede communication, they reflect a Band 5.5 to 6.0 level of lexical control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Overall, the new version is more developed and occupied with extra facilities compared to the older site with more open space and limited facilities.' There are notable grammatical errors and awkward passive constructions, such as 'which now replaced by roads' (missing auxiliary verb) and 'the site of farm undergoes' (missing article 'the'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but frequent minor structural slips place this writing firmly at Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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