Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-29

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 two maps illustrate the layout of a Beechwood farm in 1950 with its current design.

Overall, the most striking noticeable change is the replacement of sheep field by two parking areas, a camping zone, and a place for solar panels, whereas the burn has been relocated and, its previous location is currently occupied by a holiday cottage.

To begin with, In the northern part of the farm, the sheep field has been removed, leaving a space for new facilities such as the camping zone, the solar panel, and two parking spots. In addition, the track way has been converted into a road.

In the southern part of the farm, there was a change in the barn's location, allowing it to connect with the road directly, while its previous location has been occupied by a holiday cottage. On the other hand, all other conventional facilites have been kept in the same location suh as the farmhouse and the chicken pen, except a small part of fruit trees has been taken to buit a farm shop.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student addresses the task by comparing the two maps of Beechwood farm, noting key transformations such as the addition of parking areas, a camping zone, and solar panels, alongside changes to the barn and the retention of other features like the farmhouse. However, there are notable factual inaccuracies: the student mentions that the 'burn' has been relocated and its previous location is occupied by a holiday cottage, whereas the visual data shows the river remains in its original position and the holiday cottages are built on the former track area near the barn. Furthermore, the barn's location has actually remained the same while the surrounding road layout changed. Consequently, while the main overview is present, the misreading of specific spatial features limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is structured into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs covering the northern and southern sections. Logical progression is attempted with transition phrases such as 'To begin with' and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the overview where 'the burn' (presumably meaning barn) is confused with geographical features, and cohesive devices can feel a bit mechanical. Paragraphing is used adequately to separate spatial divisions of the farm.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'replacement', 'relocated', 'conventional facilities', and 'conversion'. There are a few vocabulary and spelling errors, such as 'striking noticeable' (tautology), 'track way' (written as two words), 'facilites' (spelling error), 'suh' (typographical error for such), and 'buit' (typographical error for build). Despite these flaws, the lexical choices are sufficient to convey the intended meaning, hovering around the Band 6 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, utilising relative clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'while the barn's location has remained the same...'). Grammatical control is generally adequate, but there are several errors, including subject-verb agreement issues and missing articles or incorrect prepositions (e.g., 'replacement of sheep field', 'the solar panel' as singular instead of plural, and minor tense slips). These errors do not impede overall communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score.

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

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