Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The plan illustrates the changes appreared in the Beechwood farm in 1950 and the same site today.

Initially, the Beechwood farm has a wide area for sheep. But, today the area got two parking spaces one on the left side and one on the right side of the roads and now there is a huge tree near the camping field in the middle of the area. Additionally, there are four solar panels placed on the right corner.

The tracks in the middle of the farm has converted into a road. Whereas, the other side of the farming field remained in the same state as before. However, a minor alteration of farm shop can be seen near the fruits trees.

In the middle of the road, there is a barn situated now which was not available in 1950.

Now the barn near the right side of the road converted into some holiday cottages. Chickens and farmhouse are at same location as before.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response attempts to describe the changes to Beechwood farm between 1950 and today, but it only addresses the prompt partially. Several key features are missed or inaccurately reported, such as the misinterpretation of the original sheep area and the confusion regarding the buildings. The overview is underdeveloped, and the details lack precision when reporting the layout of the site. To move to a higher band, the response needs to select and report all main features more accurately, providing a clearer overall summary of the transformation without factual inaccuracies regarding the map elements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organisation in the response, but it lacks a clear overall progression. The essay is broken into short paragraphs, but the logical link between sentences is sometimes weak, making the progression choppy. Cohesive devices are used minimally and occasionally inaccurately, such as the abrupt transitions between sentences like 'Additionally' and 'Whereas'. Referencing is also at times unclear. To improve Coherence and Cohesion, the writer should group related information more logically and use cohesive devices more smoothly to guide the reader through the comparison of the two map layouts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, but it is limited in range for an academic task. There are several word choice and word form errors, such as 'appreared' instead of 'appeared', and awkward phrasings like 'the farming field'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited accuracy. To achieve a higher band, the student needs to build a wider range of functional vocabulary specifically suited for describing spatial changes, such as verbs of transformation, and ensure correct word forms and spellings throughout.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing shows a limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with occasional attempts at complex forms that often contain errors. There are noticeable mistakes in verb tenses and agreement, such as 'the tracks... has converted' instead of 'have been converted', and missing articles. Frequent grammatical errors occur, which can occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer should practise using passive voice structures for describing changes to places and work on maintaining consistent tense control and subject-verb agreement.

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

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