Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-28
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 5.0)
The two plans illustrate the current layout of the farm and the farm area which was build in 1950.
Overall, the area is set to undergo considerable redevelopment. The most significant changes involve sheep and Barn area. while some area are expected to remain unchanged.
Looking first at the sheep site which was fully empty in 1950. But now, it's totally changed with new design because huge solar panels and camping field are built, also parking area made in both site of the new construction. Another notable change is that holiday cottages replace the barn field, barn area move into top of the Chickens side. Tracks are converted into roads.
Turning to the left side of the map, where vegetables and soft fruits area remain unchanged, in fruit trees location is changed with small farm shop in corner of this site. There is no changes in
River location. So that final look after changes is better.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarise the main features of the two plans, noting transformations such as the addition of solar panels and a camping field where sheep used to be, and the replacement of the old barn with holiday cottages. However, the temporal framing contains inaccuracies (referring to the maps as 'the current layout' versus 'build in 1950', whereas both represent historical/comparative points in time: 1950 and today). Furthermore, some details are misread or confused, such as the claim that the barn moved to the top of the chickens' side when the maps show the barn moved to the southern end of the road junction, and the assertion that vegetables and soft fruits remained unchanged when their boundaries shifted slightly. The overview is also rather simplistic. Consequently, the task is addressed only partially, fitting the Band 5 descriptor.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is divided into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs, showing a basic attempt at paragraphing. However, logical progression is hindered by poor referencing and abrupt transitions, such as starting a sentence with 'while some area are expected to remain unchanged' in the second paragraph without completing the thought properly. Cohesive devices are mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, as seen in sentences starting with 'Looking first at the sheep site which was fully empty in 1950. But now, it's totally changed...' which fragments the sentence structure. Overall arrangement is discernible, but the lack of smooth links and cohesive control places this at Band 5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive ('totally changed', 'change', 'area'). There are noticeable word choice and collocation issues, such as 'sheep site', 'fully empty' instead of 'vacant' or 'open land', and 'top of the chickens' side'. Spelling and word form errors also occur, such as 'build' instead of 'built' and 'area' instead of 'areas'. The range of vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic subject matter, but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands, aligning with Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response shows a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and flawed complex structures. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including tense confusion ('which was build in 1950'), subject-verb agreement issues ('some area are', 'barn area move'), fragment sentences ('Looking first at the sheep site which was fully empty in 1950. But now, it's totally changed...'), and missing prepositions ('in fruit trees location'). These frequent errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader and reflect Band 5 grammatical control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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