Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-23

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 map illustrates the changes in the site of a farm prior to its renovation in 1950 and its current layout.

Overall, the new farm has been transformed into a more modern layout along with the addition of a camping field, parking, holiday cottages and solar panels, while the old farm is not constructed with the modern setup.

Looking at the maps in more detail, the track has been replaced with the roads that are protected by barn. Although the two parking areas were located at east and the other along the road, it helps to facilitate the visitors that shelter in camps. A notable addition was the solar panels located at the top right corner on a farm.

In contrast, even though the barn in a old farm has been converted into the holiday cottages to provide comfort to the tourists, while the fruit and soft trees, vegetables, farmhouse and chickens have remained in the same location.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of both maps, noting key transformations such as the introduction of parking areas, holiday cottages, a farm shop, and solar panels. An overview is present, highlighting the general modernisation of the farm site. However, some of the specific reporting contains inaccuracies or confusion; for instance, stating that 'the old farm is not constructed with the modern setup' is vague, and claiming that features like 'fruit and soft trees, vegetables, farmhouse and chickens have remained in the same location' misreads the layout, as several features have been shifted or reconfigured. The details are therefore somewhat inadequately developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, moving to an overview, and then detailing specific changes. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'Looking at the maps in more detail', and 'In contrast'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in the phrase 'the roads that are protected by barn' and the somewhat confusing transitional logic in sentences like 'Although the two parking areas were located at east and the other along the road, it helps to facilitate the visitors'. Progression is sometimes hampered by awkward phrasing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'transformed', 'modern layout', and 'notable addition'. However, there are notable lexical errors and unnatural collocations throughout the text, such as 'prior to its renovation in 1950' (the map shows the farm in 1950, not prior to renovation), 'protected by barn', and 'fruit and soft trees'. These word choice inaccuracies occasionally impede clear communication and reflect a limited ability to handle precise vocabulary for spatial descriptions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and concessive structures (e.g., 'Although the two parking areas...'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several errors in article usage, prepositions, and verb forms, such as 'in a old farm', 'the fruit and soft trees', and 'were located at east'. Despite these errors, the meaning is usually retrievable, placing the performance firmly in the band 6 category.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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