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, sheep was located on the northwest 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 on the eastern side of the farm. There was a river situated on the southern side of the farm.
At present, sheep has been replaced by solar panels, camping fields and parking. In the centre, the track has been replaced by the road.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 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 successfully summarises the main changes between the 1950s and the present day at Beechwood Farm, satisfying the core requirements of Academic Task 1. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing overall alterations such as the addition of camping fields, solar panels, and holiday cottages. Key spatial details are mentioned, such as the sheep area being replaced and the conversion of the barn. However, there are some minor spatial inaccuracies and omissions; for instance, the student states that fruit trees, soft fruit, and vegetables were located on the eastern side in the past, whereas the visual data shows them in the center-southwest between the track and the river. Despite this, the response addresses the prompt adequately and presents a clear overview.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, a description of the past layout, and a description of the present layout. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate these distinct functional parts of the report. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In the past', 'Moreover', and 'At present'. However, referencing and transitions are at times a bit mechanical or repetitive, and some sentences lack smooth inter-sentence connections. For example, the final sentences about the farm shop and the barn feel somewhat tacked on rather than fully integrated into a coherent narrative of the modern map layout.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to map descriptions, such as 'converted', 'replaced', 'triangle junction', and 'facilities'. There are some awkward collocations and lexical inaccuracies, such as using 'sheep was located' (sheep is plural/mass here, and location of an animal type rather than a pasture) and 'soft fruit' instead of 'soft fruits'. Spelling is generally accurate, but the range of vocabulary remains somewhat basic and repetitive, lacking the sophisticated lexical control required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing passive structures appropriately when describing changes (e.g., 'has been replaced by', 'has been converted into'). There are some minor grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('sheep was located', 'sheep has been replaced') and missing pluralization ('chicken' instead of 'chickens', 'farmshop' as one unspaced word). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors do occur, they rarely impede communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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