Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The maps illustrate the layout of the Beechwood farm in 1950 and at present time.

Overall, there has been substantial redevelopments over the year. Previously majority of the farm was allocated for agricultural activities, which now serves a variety of purpose, such as recreational activities and residential areas.

In 1950, major portion of the farm on the north-eastern side was assigned for sheep grazing, and in south-western side to farming of fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables, all connected by tracks. The South-eastern side has a barn, with adjacent farmhouse and chicken enclosure nearby. The farm has river on south and west borders and a main road towards north.

The modern farm has undergone significant modifications, the sheep grazing area in north-eastern side now serves as a leisure place, with camping field and solar panel installation on the right corner, and an attached parking at the bottom. Another parking can also be seen at the main entrance.

The tracks are now properly contructed and connect different areas of farm. The agricultural areas of fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables still holds the same place, reflecting the farm's transition from a predominantly agricultural site to a more diversified rural complex. The south-east corner is reorganized, it now has residential place named, holiday cottages, below it is farmhouse and an adjacent chicken enclosure, and a well contructed road reaching the barn.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by comparing the two maps of Beechwood Farm in 1950 and today. An overall trend is clearly stated in the introduction and second paragraph, noting the shift from predominantly agricultural activities to a more diversified rural complex featuring recreation and accommodation. Key features such as the retention of the crop fields, the replacement of the sheep area with a camping ground and solar panels, and the addition of holiday cottages and a farm shop are all accurately reported. The comparison is generally well-developed, although a few minor details (such as the exact placement of the farm shop) could be slightly more integrated into the spatial narrative. Overall, the response meets all the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0, showing a clear overview and relevant detail selection.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged logically with an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs detailing the past and present layouts. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different time periods. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the comparisons, such as 'Previously', 'In 1950', and 'The modern farm'. However, some cohesive links and referencing feel a bit mechanical or slightly disjointed (e.g., 'The South-eastern side has a barn...' switching tense abruptly from past to present). Paragraph two also has a minor punctuation and sentence flow issue ('redevelopments over the year. Previously majority...'). Nevertheless, there is a clear overall progression that allows the reader to follow the spatial transformations easily, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a diagram description task, incorporating terms like 'substantial redevelopments', 'agricultural activities', 'leisure place', and 'diversified rural complex'. There are, however, some slight word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'previously majority of the farm' (missing article), 'serves a variety of purpose' (singular/plural mismatch), and 'contructed' (spelling error). Less common lexical items are attempted with varying success. While communication is never impeded and the vocabulary is sufficient for the task, these recurring mechanical errors and occasional imprecise phrases prevent the score from reaching the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms to describe spatial changes. The student demonstrates control over basic sentence structures and successfully incorporates dependent clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'reflecting the farm's transition from a predominantly agricultural site to a more diversified rural complex'). However, grammatical errors occur with some frequency, including missing articles ('the farm has river on south and west borders'), tense inconsistencies ('has river' instead of 'had a river' when describing the 1950 map), and spelling/punctuation flaws ('contructed', comma splices like 'reorganized, it now has'). While these errors do not impede communication, they restrict the grammar score to Band 6.0.

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

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