Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The map illustrates the changes in Beechwood farm that took place between the 1950s and the present.
Overall, the Beechwood Farm has undergone significant changes in the layout and facilities. Several existing areas were replaced and converted, while a number of new areas, such as camping fields, solar panels and holiday cottages, were introduced.
In the past, the sheep was located in the nothwest corner of the farm, while the barn, farmhouse and chicken were situated on the western side of the farm. There was a track located in the center of the farm. Moreover fruit trees, soft fruit and vegetables were located in the eastern side of the farm. There was a river situated on the southern side of the farm.
At present, the sheep has been replaced by solar panels, camping fields and parking. In the centre, the track has been replaced by the road. Similarly, the barn has been converted into holiday cottages. In addition Farmshop has been added on the eastern side of the farm, the barn has been changed the placed in the bottom of the triangular road.
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 describing the overall changes between 1950 and the present day at Beechwood Farm. An overview is provided, noting that significant changes took place in layout and facilities. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and omissions in spatial descriptions and features. For instance, the student states that the sheep were located in the northwest corner in the past, whereas the transcription and maps show sheep in the open northern area, and the 'barn, farmhouse and chicken' were actually on the eastern/southern parts rather than the western side. Furthermore, some of the modern developments like the farm shop and holiday cottages are mentioned, but details lack full precision. Overall, the response covers the main trends but struggles with complete accuracy in spatial referencing, placing it at a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged into four paragraphs, moving from an introduction to an overview, followed by past features and present features. This logical arrangement provides a coherent overall structure. Cohesive devices such as 'In the past', 'Moreover', and 'At present' are used to signal transitions between ideas and timeframes. However, paragraphing is somewhat basic, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as shifting between singular and plural nouns ('the sheep was located', 'the chicken'). Paragraphing could be further refined to contrast past and present side by side rather than in separate isolated blocks. Cohesion is functional, though sometimes slightly mechanical, aligning with a Band 6.0 descriptor.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully employing terms related to maps and transformations such as 'layout', 'facilities', 'replaced', 'converted', and 'introduced'. However, there are notable lexical and collocation errors, such as 'soft fruit' instead of 'soft fruits', 'changed the placed' instead of 'relocated' or 'repositioned', and awkward phrasing like 'the chicken' instead of 'the chicken enclosure'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy. Spelling is generally accurate, but word choice limitations occasionally impede precise communication, justifying a band score of 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses and passive constructions ('has undergone significant changes', 'has been replaced by solar panels'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several subject-verb agreement and pluralisation errors, including 'the sheep was located', 'camping fields... was introduced' (implied), and 'chicken' used as a singular countable noun. Punctuation is mostly acceptable, but awkward phrasing like 'the barn has been changed the placed' indicates a breakdown in syntactic control. These errors occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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