Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-05

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 plans show a map that illustrates the site of a farm in 1950 and the same farm site as of today.

The farm site consist of a river flowing in from the left side of the map and a road that is show to start from the left side also going over the river to the top of the map.

Now some of the thing have remained the same through out the years till preasent day, like the soft fruits,vegetable,farmhouse and the chiken area.There have been some changes in the Fruit trees area, there is now a farm shop, further more the track has been turned into a road. The sheep area has been through some big changes like the addition of a parking lot, a camping field as well as the instalation of solar panels with its own parking as well.

The triangular part of the road now leads to a new barn.The old barn has been turned into holiday cottages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially by identifying several key changes between 1950 and the present day at Beechwood Farm. You successfully noted features such as the addition of a farm shop, holiday cottages, and parking facilities. However, the overview is missing entirely, which prevents the response from achieving a higher score. Furthermore, some information is under-developed or presented without sufficient comparison between the two periods. While you mentioned that the soft fruits, vegetables, farmhouse, and chicken area remained the same, other significant transformations, such as the complete redevelopment of the sheep area into a camping field and solar panels, required a clearer summary of spatial changes and relative locations to fully satisfy the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation evident in the progression from the unchanging elements to the new additions, such as the holiday cottages and the new barn. However, overall progression lacks a clear, cohesive structure. Paragraphing is somewhat erratic, with single-sentence paragraphs breaking the flow of ideas. Cohesive devices are occasionally inadequate or repetitive, and referencing is sometimes unclear, such as when discussing the placement of the parking lots and solar panels in relation to the older map features. To improve, you should group related information logically into well-defined paragraphs and use a wider, more accurate range of cohesive markers to guide the reader smoothly through the spatial changes.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to describe the basic features of the farm plans. You attempt some less common vocabulary, such as 'installation', 'retained', and 'triangular part', but there are noticeable errors in word choice and spelling, including 'preasent', 'consist', 'thing', and 'chiken'. These lexical and spelling inaccuracies sometimes cause slight confusion, though they do not completely impede communication. To reach a higher band, you need to expand your range of vocabulary with more precise terms for describing map changes, such as 'converted', 'demolished', 'extended', or 'replaced', while ensuring accurate spelling and word formation throughout.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response relies on a limited range of sentence structures, and attempts at complex sentences are often faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'some of the thing have remained', 'the farm site consist'), missing articles (e.g., 'in the Fruit trees area', 'with its own parking as well'), and punctuation errors like missing spaces after commas (e.g., 'soft fruits,vegetable,farmhouse'). These frequent errors require the reader to occasionally pause and decode the meaning. To improve, you should focus on basic clause structures, correct verb-subject agreement, proper article usage, and accurate punctuation to ensure grammatical control across your writing.

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

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