Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-30
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 developments at Benchwood farm in between 1950 and today.
Overall, the addition of barn, holiday cottages, farm shop, parking facilities and camping field are the major changes that happened between 1950 and now.
In 1950, In the north-east of the benchwood farm there is a large vacant area allocated for sheeps. Towards the sout-east there is a barn, a farmhous and some chicken followed by a track. Coming more towards extreme south is a flowing river which extended towards north-west. Along with the river pathway, there are some areas of fruits and vegetables plants.
Now the benchwood farm has been changed completely. The area allocated for sheeps in the north-east is now being seperated into two parts. One part has the camping field and the other has solar panels fixed in it along with two parking facilities. Towards the south, the track has been converted into a road. Towards south-east barn area is converted into holiday cottages and for barn a small area at the junction of roads has been allocated instead. An additional farm shop has been made in the corner of fruit trees area.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student makes a strong attempt to summarise the main features of the maps, presenting an overview in the second paragraph that highlights major changes such as the addition of the farm shop, holiday cottages, and parking facilities. Key geographical features from both 1950 and the present day are compared, including the transformation of the sheep area into a camping field, solar panels, and parking spaces, as well as the relocation of the barn. However, there are some minor inaccuracies or omissions in spatial referencing (for instance, mislocating the original barn and missing certain details like the fruit trees). Overall, all parts of the task are addressed, and the core trends are clearly reported, aligning well with Band 6.5 to 7.0 criteria.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged into four paragraphs, following a logical progression from introduction to overview, and then detailing the past and present layouts respectively. Cohesive devices and referencing are generally adequate, though some transitions feel a bit mechanical (e.g., 'Coming more towards extreme south', 'Now the benchwood farm has been changed completely'). Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the temporal periods. While the organisation is clear and easy to follow, occasional awkward linking devices prevent it from reaching a higher band score, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing map changes, successfully employing terms like 'allocated', 'converted', 'facilities', and 'junction'. However, there are notable spelling and capitalization errors throughout the text (e.g., 'Benchwood', 'sheeps', 'sout-east', 'farmhous', 'seperated'). Furthermore, word choices occasionally border on basic or repetitive, and there are minor collocation slips. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main ideas clearly, these recurring mechanical and lexical errors restrict the score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like prepositional phrases ('In 1950, In the north-east...') and passive voice ('has been changed completely', 'is now being seperated'). There are several grammatical inaccuracies and punctuation slips, such as capitalization issues, missing prepositions, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'for barn a small area at the junction of roads has been allocated instead'). Nevertheless, the errors do not impede communication, and the overall meaning remains clear, which corresponds well to the Band 6.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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