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 diagrams show the structure of a farm located between river and the main road and the changes that has has been made over the last 75 years.
There has been some prominent and useful additions and renovations of different buildings and infrrastructure.
There farm has been divided into two parts by a farm track:Upper and lower. In the lower section, there has not been a lot of alterations. For example, a farm shop has been opened in fruit trees portion and holiday cottages has replaced barn which got moved near to the Chickens section. Furthermore, the dirt track has been upgraded to a proper road.
The upper sheep portion has seen a lot of additions and changes. Two parking spaces has been provided. First one at the intersection of the main road and farm road. The second one just next to the holiday cottages. Solar Panels and camping fields has been included as well.
Overall, It seems that the farm has been converted into a modern commercial site that can host guests and customers looking to have experiance of a farmhouse camping.
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 response covers the main features of the farm in 1950 and compares them with the current layout. The student correctly identifies key developments such as the addition of parking spaces, solar panels, camping fields, and holiday cottages, alongside the conversion of the old barn. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and omissions in spatial reporting; for instance, stating that 'holiday cottages has replaced barn' is slightly imprecise since the original barn was relocated rather than simply substituted, and the newly positioned barn is located differently. Additionally, the overview at the end is somewhat informal in tone ('Overall, It seems...'). Nevertheless, the main trends and changes are adequately reported, satisfying the core requirements of Task 1.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by a body paragraph focusing on the lower section, another for the upper section, and a concluding overview. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In the lower section', 'Furthermore', and 'The upper sheep portion'. However, some cohesive links feel a bit mechanical or repetitive, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'There farm has been divided' and referring to the barn relocation in a slightly disjointed manner. Paragraphing is present and generally appropriate, but the logical progression could be smoother.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student attempts some less common vocabulary relevant to the topic, such as 'prominent and useful additions', 'renovations', 'infrrastructure', and 'commercial site'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('infrrastructure', 'There farm', 'experiance') and word form issues ('holiday cottages has replaced', where subject-verb agreement fails). Word choices are generally adequate for the task, but lexical control is inconsistent, placing the response firmly at Band 5.5 to 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses and prepositional phrases ('located between river and the main road'). However, grammatical errors are frequent enough to detract from fluency. Examples include subject-verb agreement errors ('Two parking spaces has been provided', 'holiday cottages has replaced'), missing articles ('between river and the main road', 'in fruit trees portion'), and punctuation/capitalization slips ('Overall, It seems'). These errors rarely impede overall communication, but they lower the overall grammatical accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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