Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-01

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 changes that took place in Beechwood farm between 1950 and today.

Overall, the area became more developed with major addition of a camping field and solar panels. Meanwhile, the parking area has increased. The barn was also replaced near the road.

In the earlier map, sheep was located above the track. By today, it had been replaced with camping field,solar panels and parking. In addition, barn was replaced with holiday cottage was constructed below the road.

Another significant change barn constructed at curve of the road. The track was converted into a road not extended, while all trees were remained unchanged , But in the fruit trees they constructed a new farm shop. Therefore, the beechwood farm was developed greatly and tourists can visit.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response partially addresses the task requirements by identifying some major changes between the 1950 map and the current plan, such as the addition of the camping field, solar panels, and the farm shop. However, the word count falls significantly short of the 150-word minimum, leaving the response under-length at only 128 words. While an overview is attempted, key details are omitted or expressed inaccurately, such as the statement that all trees remained unchanged (whereas fruit trees and soft fruits were altered and reconfigured). The development of ideas remains limited and somewhat repetitive, preventing a fuller coverage of the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organisation with an attempt at an introduction, body details, and a brief conclusion, but the text lacks a clear overall progression. Paragraphing is rudimentary, with sentences grouped somewhat haphazardly into single-sentence paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and repetitively (e.g., 'Meanwhile', 'In addition', 'Another significant change', 'Therefore'), and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the ambiguous connection in 'the track was converted into a road not extended'. Overall, the flow of information feels disjointed and requires the reader to work harder to follow the comparison between the two maps.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary range is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items related to the map features, such as 'camping field', 'solar panels', and 'farm shop', but struggles with accurate word choices and collocations. For instance, writing 'holiday cottage was constructed' instead of plural 'holiday cottages' or 'a holiday cottage complex', and stating that 'all trees were remained unchanged' demonstrates noticeable lexical and morphological errors. Spelling is generally acceptable, but frequent awkward phrasing and restricted lexical variety prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer uses a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic past passive forms (e.g., 'was located', 'had been replaced', 'was constructed'). Attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to ungrammatical constructions and missing elements, such as 'While an area became more developed' or 'the track was converted into a road not extended'. There are frequent errors in article usage, pluralisation, and prepositions within grammatical patterns (e.g., 'in Beechwood farm', 'at curve of the road'). These errors cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a restricted control of grammatical accuracy.

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