Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The layout illustrate the site of a farm in 1950 and compare it from today.

overall, the farm surrounding has not been changed since 1950,whereas the internal layout of the farm is been modified to accommodate technology and community activities with ease.

In 1950, the entrance of the farm is from the main road. Once you enter in the farm you will see a fruit tree on right and on the left side It has the sheepfold. If you further move onto toward the track right after the fruit tree there was a soft fruits farm and then the vegetable farm. By turning toward the left and move along track you will reached to the barn behind it you will see a farmhouse behind the farm house and across the vegetable farm there were chicken roaming around. The farm boundary is connected with the river, it will on left side from the entrance.

Today, the sheepfold is removed to facilities parking, camping field and solar panels. farm shop is introduce on right side of the entrance that makes the fruit tree area small. Track is converted into a road. The farm now have two parking space one on the left side just after the entrance and other one is at the left end of the road. Barn is shifted next to vegetable farm and on the barn place holiday cottages is introduced. Camping field is right next to entrance parking and next to camping we have the solar panels just below that another parking is situated.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main change from a largely agricultural site to one with tourism and energy features, and you compare the 1950 plan with today. The overview that the surrounding area remains similar while the internal layout changes is relevant, although the river and boundary are not clearly described. Several details are accurate, including the addition of parking, camping, solar panels, a farm shop and holiday cottages. However, some locations or changes are misreported: the barn is not shifted next to the vegetable field, and the cottages occupy the area east of the farmhouse rather than the former barn site. The account also omits the continued presence of the farmhouse, chickens and fruit/soft-fruit/vegetable areas. More precise coverage of these features would make the comparison fuller and clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overall statement, and separate descriptions of the earlier and current layouts. This gives the reader a basic route through the comparison. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because the description relies on a sequence of imagined movements, such as “Once you enter” and “If you further move onto,” rather than grouping features by area or change. The repeated use of “and” also makes several sentences feel crowded, while references such as “behind it” and “that” are not always clear. Organise the details spatially—for example, western fields first, then the central road and eastern facilities—and use clearer links to show what remained and what changed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a site plan, including “internal layout,” “farm boundary,” “parking space,” and “holiday cottages.” These choices help communicate the broad transformation. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural for a formal map description, such as “sheepfold,” “fruit tree on right,” “chicken roaming around,” and “on the barn place.” The repeated use of “farm” and “track” also limits variety, and “technology and community activities” is a broad description rather than a precise summary of the new facilities. Aim for accurate location language and standard plan vocabulary, such as “field,” “area,” “to the east of,” and “was replaced by.” This would make the account more precise and easier to interpret.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including a contrast in the overview and conditional sequencing with “If you further move.” However, errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction are noticeable and sometimes make relationships between features unclear. Examples include “The layout illustrate,” “the farm surrounding has not been changed,” “the farm now have,” and “you will reached.” Tense control also shifts between past and present within descriptions, while punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent, as in “1950,whereas” and the lower-case “farm shop.” Practise forming accurate past-tense descriptions for 1950 and present-tense descriptions for today, and check subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries. More reliable control would make your comparisons clearer.

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