Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-27
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)
In the given diagrams we can see that, there has been many changes made to the farm between the following years 1950 till today. Some changes are addition to the farm meanwhile, many things have been removed from it aswell.
During 1950 the farm was rather quiet simple with limited structure such as, There was a simple track in the middle of the field, a huge amount of space for sheep to the north of track. There was a barn, farmhouse,chickens. there are sites for farming aswell. majority of this structure has been changed ill be sharing in detail in the following paragraph.
In the recent time, the track has been converted to a road with multiple attached parkings aswell. The land for sheep has been changed to a camping feild along with solar panels. Barn has been replaced with holiday cottages, another barn has been added to the road aswell. Land for vegetables, soft fruits and fruit trees still exist with an addition to farm shop in fruit trees area.
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 candidate attempts to summarise the main features of the maps comparing Beechwood Farm in 1950 with today. An overview is attempted in the introduction, noting both additions and removals. Key features are reported, such as the conversion of the track to a road, the replacement of the sheep area with a camping field and solar panels, and the addition of holiday cottages and a farm shop. However, the response suffers from some inaccuracies and informal phrasing (e.g., 'quiet simple', 'ill be sharing in detail'). Furthermore, some spatial descriptions lack precision. Despite these limitations, all parts of the prompt are addressed, fulfilling the requirements for Band 5.5 to 6.0, fitting firmly at a Band 6.0 level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is divided into three paragraphs, providing an introduction, a past overview, and a present-day description, which gives it a coherent overall arrangement. However, logical progression is sometimes hindered by abrupt transitions and conversational framing (e.g., 'majority of this structure has been changed ill be sharing in detail in the following paragraph'). Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes mechanical or faulty. Paragraphing is attempted but needs better internal cohesion and clearer signposting to guide the reader seamlessly through the comparison between the two time periods.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The candidate uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'converted', 'replaced', and 'solar panels'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('feild') and issues with word choice and collocation (e.g., 'quiet simple' instead of 'quite simple', 'attached parkings'). Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success and some inaccuracy. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic comparisons, these lexical inaccuracies and spelling slips prevent the score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures are often prone to errors. Punctuation is frequently weak, with missing capitalization ('ill', 'feild'), run-on clauses, and incorrect comma placement (e.g., 'we can see that, there has been'). Grammatical errors include subject-verb agreement issues and tense inconsistencies. Although the meaning remains largely clear and communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of basic mechanical and grammatical mistakes keeps this criterion at a Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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