Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-04

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 two figures illustrates the outline of the site of an farm comparing from 1950 to todays farm, called Beechwood.

Overall, the farm face the significant changes while comparing it from todays. From the track converting to road and various services being added. Additionally, fillig empty spaces with crucial materials.

In 1950, the track was making difficulties for people to travel; meanwhile, it is upgraded into road now, within the three distributed path joining one way with Barn making nearer of road so that it can be found easily. However, the chickens and Farmhouse remain stable at it original place, the Barn original place was replaced with Holiday Cottages.

Moreover, at the east side of the road where all the spaces were left only for sheep are now filled with three diferrent catgories. Camping field in between and solar panels in the eastern right side with one parking area attached near to the road. Furthermore, remaining space to the southeast has also been added with Parking area attaching two different roads.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially by identifying several key changes between 1950 and today at Beechwood Farm, such as the addition of the camping field, solar panels, and holiday cottages. However, the overview is weak, containing awkward phrasing ('the farm face the significant changes') and failing to fully synthesise the main global trends. Some details are under-developed or imprecise, such as describing the original barn location being replaced with holiday cottages while another barn is actually present elsewhere in the layout. To reach a higher standard, the writer needs to provide a clearer, more comprehensive overview of the primary transformations and ensure all reported spatial relationships are accurate and fully supported by the diagrams.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation in the response, with an introduction, overall summary, and body paragraphs attempting to contrast the two time periods. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the logical flow is frequently hindered by mechanical or inaccurate cohesive devices, such as 'Additionally, fillig empty spaces with crucial materials' and disjointed transition phrases like 'However, the chickens and Farmhouse remain stable at it original place'. Paragraphing is used, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs lacks smoothness and sometimes relies on repetitive or unnatural connectors. Improving the sequencing of ideas and utilizing more precise reference words would enhance the overall readability and logical progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task, demonstrating frequent word choice and spelling errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Examples of lexical issues include 'illustrates' combined with a plural subject ('figures illustrates'), 'today farm', 'fillig' (filling), 'diferrent', and 'catgories'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'converted', 'upgraded', and 'stable', but imprecise collocations and awkward phrasing ('crucial materials', 'three distributed path') prevent a higher score. To improve, the student should focus on accurate spelling, more precise lexical items related to maps and spatial changes (e.g., 'replaced by', 'converted into'), and standard collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response employs a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences and faulty attempts at complex clauses. There are frequent grammatical errors in verb forms, prepositions, and article usage, which can cause difficulty for the reader. Notable errors include 'comparing from 1950 to todays farm', 'the farm face the significant changes', 'making nearer of road', 'at it original place', and 'Parking area attaching two different roads'. Control over basic grammatical patterns is inconsistent, and punctuation is occasionally misused. To progress, the writer must practice forming accurate complex sentences, mastering subject-verb agreement, and correctly applying prepositions of place and time.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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