Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-08
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 4.5)
The maps below illustrate the site of a beechwood farm in 1950 and the same site today. The map reporting the main features and makes comparison between them.
Overall, the area has changed dramatically. There are many new buildings and facilities added to new beechwood farm.
In 1950, the site was dominated by farming areas. In the north-west side of the beach, there were three plots for the fruits trees, soft fruits and vegetables. A track ran from the main road, connecting to all these plots, leading to a barn in south-east sode of the beech. A small area, behind this conducted foe chikens and a farmhouse.
Today several significant changes have occured. The fruit and the vegetable trees remained at the same
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5
The response identifies the maps’ broad purpose and gives a general overview that the farm has changed, but it reports only a small part of the available information. The 1950 description mentions the three crop plots, a track, a barn, farmhouse and chickens, although some locations are inaccurate or unclear: the plots were south-west of the track, not simply on the farm’s north-west side. The account of today stops mid-sentence at “remained at the same,” so it does not describe major changes such as the farm shop, parking, camping field, solar panels or holiday cottages. The response is also 115 words, below the required 150. To improve, complete the comparison and select several key changes with accurate locations.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph about 1950 and a paragraph beginning to describe today. This gives the reader a recognisable structure, and time markers such as “In 1950” and “Today” help signal the comparison. However, the progression is incomplete because the final paragraph ends abruptly, and the overview is not developed into a clear account of the main changes. Some references are difficult to follow, as in “A small area, behind this,” where “this” has no clear referent. Build complete paragraphs around the two time periods, use clear location references, and finish the present-day comparison.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The response uses some relevant map vocabulary, including “plots,” “track,” “main road,” “barn” and “farmhouse,” and “changed dramatically” communicates the broad idea of development. However, the range is limited, and several word-choice, spelling and collocation errors make parts difficult to understand: “beach” appears to mean “farm,” “sode” is unclear, and “conducted foe chikens” does not convey the intended meaning. “Fruit and the vegetable trees” is also inaccurate for the labelled fields. Use precise terms for land use and facilities, and check spelling carefully. A wider set of location phrases—such as “to the north-east of” and “along the southern boundary”—would help describe the plans accurately.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The response attempts a few different sentence forms, including the overview sentence “There are many new buildings and facilities added” and a longer description beginning “A track ran from the main road.” However, grammatical control is uneven. “The map reporting the main features and makes comparison between them” is not a complete, well-formed sentence, while “There are many new buildings and facilities added” has an awkward construction. The final sentence is unfinished, and “the same” has no completed comparison. There are also problems with articles and prepositions in phrases such as “in south-east sode.” Aim for complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use consistent past and present tenses when comparing the two maps.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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