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 how Beechwood Farm has changed from 1950 to the present day.
Overall, the farm has undergone considerable redevelopment, with several new facilities being added. The sheep area has been converted into several new facilities, while the fruit trees area has been added to the new farm shop.
In 1950, the sheep area was located in the north-eastern part of the farm, while the fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetable area were situated in the north-western site of the beechwood farm. The track path was situated in the central part of the farm and it connected to 2 tracks. In addition, the barn and farmhouse were located in the south-eastern part of the farm and the chicken area was located in the southern part of the beechwood farm. The river pass through between the fruit trees area to the barn area.
In the current layout, The sheep area has been undegone considerable redevelopment. The sheep area has been replaced by the 2 parking areas, Camping fields, solar panels and the big tree. While farm shop has been converted into the holday cottages, and the farmhouse and chicken area have remained unchanged. In addition, track areas have been replaced by road and far side of the corner has been added in the the Barn.
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 candidate successfully covers all the main features of the two plans, comparing the layout of Beechwood Farm in 1950 with the present day. An appropriate overall trend is identified in the introduction and overview paragraphs, noting the significant redevelopment and addition of new facilities such as parking areas, camping fields, and holiday cottages. Key spatial relationships and changes are reported, such as the conversion of the sheep area into parking and camping zones, and the retention of the farmhouse and chicken area. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and confusion in reporting specific details, such as stating that the 'farm shop has been converted into the holiday cottages', whereas the maps show the farm shop is a new addition near the fruit trees and the holiday cottages are located further east where the track/barn area used to be. Despite these minor misreadings, all parts of the task are adequately addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory statement, provides a concise overview, details the past layout, and concludes with the current layout. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate these distinct functional sections. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as 'In 1950', 'In the current layout', and 'While'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in repetitive sentence structures ('The sheep area has been...') and some awkward transitions between clauses. Nonetheless, the information is coherent overall and easy to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting less common items related to map descriptions, such as 'redevelopment', 'converted', 'replaced', and 'undegone' (intended as undergone). While there are some inappropriate word choices and minor inaccuracies—such as 'track path', 'far side of the corner has been added in the the Barn', and spelling/morphology errors like 'undegone' and 'holday'—these errors do not impede communication. The range is sufficient to convey the main changes, though precision in describing spatial transformations could be improved.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing passive structures ('has been converted', 'have remained unchanged') and subordinate clauses ('while the fruit trees area has been added...'). However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text, including 'The sheep area has been undegone considerable redevelopment' (passive/active confusion), missing articles ('replaced by the 2 parking areas'), and preposition errors ('added in the the Barn'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical slips persist across the text, preventing access to higher bands.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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