Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-02
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 showed the site of a farm in 1950 and then redesign of same site today.
Overall, there are number of changes included in new design of farm site like addition of camping fields, parking areas, farm shops, solar panels and holiday cottages. The location of barn is changed in new design and connected with roads.
In 1950, farm site was more spacious and less occupied but redesign is unique and more occupied. There is a highway over track and bridge which is similar in both designs. However, in old design it was separated by fruit tress, soft fruits and vegetables farmland but in new design farm shops are also built near highway. On the opposite side to farmland, they kept sheep herd which occupied a larger space but in redesign they replaced it with solar panels and camping fields.
There was a barn near the track but barn is now attached with two roads. Parking are added in new design and farmhouses while chickens were placed closer to river. Holiday cottages is a new addition near the river.
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 response successfully addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main changes between 1950 and the present day. An overview is provided right at the beginning, listing key additions such as camping fields, parking areas, and holiday cottages. However, some aspects of the development are under-developed or described with minor inaccuracies, such as the statement regarding the highway over track and bridge, which misinterprets the visual data. The descriptions tend to generalise certain changes without fully elaborating on spatial relationships across the entire site, placing the response solidly at this level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a discernible progression from an introductory overview to specific comparative details. Paragraphing is attempted, though the division could be managed more logically to separate different zones of the farm. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'In 1950', and 'However', but referencing is sometimes mechanical or imprecise, leading to occasional awkwardness in transitions between sentences and ideas.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
An adequate range of vocabulary is deployed to accomplish the task, featuring appropriate terms such as 'redesign', 'farmland', 'solar panels', and 'holiday cottages'. There are, however, noticeable word choice and collocation issues, such as writing 'redesign is unique and more occupied' instead of built-up or developed, alongside minor errors like 'fruit tress'. These inaccuracies do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the range and precision of the vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing comparative structures and past versus present tense contrasts. Grammatical control is mixed, with some error-free sentences alongside noticeable errors in articles, prepositions, and singular-plural agreement, such as 'there are number of changes', 'Parking are added', and 'Holiday cottages is a new addition'. These errors occur across various structures but rarely impede overall understanding.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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