Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The maps illustrate the changes at Beechwood Farm between 1950 and the present day.

Overall, the farm has developed from a farm consisting of sheep, a track between it and the fruit area, to a more urbanized zone with camping and parking areas.

In 1950, the farm was dedicated to agriculture, with a zone of fruit trees, soft fruits, and vegetables on the west. Chickens, a barn, and a farmhouse were on the other side of the track, on the southern side. There was a huge area for sheep on the north.

Today, Beechwood Farm expanded into a touristic and commercial place. Nevertheless, its agricultural area like, fruit trees, soft fruits, vegetables, chickens, the barn, and the farmhouse, include new facilities such as; holiday cottages, a camping field, and parking spaces, adding a farm shop nearby fruit trees on the northwest side. The barn was moved to the south, and holliday cottages were built. In addition, solar panels installed on the northeast side.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all main features of the maps, providing a clear overall comparison between 1950 and the present day. The candidate notes the shift from pure agriculture to tourism and commerce, identifying key additions such as the camping field, holiday cottages, and parking spaces, alongside retained features like the orchard and barn. However, there are minor inaccuracies in spatial reporting, such as stating 'the barn was moved to the south' (the old barn was removed and a new one built at the southern tip) and claiming solar panels were 'installed on the northeast side' when they appear in the north-east corner. Despite these minor misinterpretations, the overview and key trends are clearly presented, satisfying the main requirements of Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text is logically organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overall summary, a description of the past map, and a description of the current map. Cohesive devices are used adequately to guide the reader through the temporal changes, such as 'In 1950' and 'Today'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different temporal periods and themes. However, referencing and transitions in the final paragraph are slightly disjointed, with a dense list of features ('fruit trees, soft fruits, vegetables, chickens, the barn, and the farmhouse, include new facilities such as; holiday cottages...') that disrupts smooth progression. Overall, the arrangement is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The candidate demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe physical changes and map features, using terms such as 'urbanized zone', 'agricultural area', and 'facilities'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some awkward phrasing and word choices occur, such as referring to a rural farm as an 'urbanized zone' and minor grammatical slip-ups in collocation ('solar panels installed' missing a passive auxiliary). Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary is adequate to communicate the intended message without impeding the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as introductory subordinate clauses ('Overall, the farm has developed from...') and relative clauses. There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, notably in the final paragraph: 'its agricultural area like, fruit trees... include new facilities' (subject-verb agreement and punctuation error with a semicolon) and 'in addition, solar panels installed on the northeast side' (missing verb 'were'). Nevertheless, these errors do not severely impede communication, and the writer demonstrates control over basic sentence patterns.

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