Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-09

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 of Beechwood Farm in the year 1950 and in the present day have changed significantly. There have been major structural and functional changes made to the farm over the year and it has changed from a farm to a holiday retreat destination. There has been commercialization of the farm and it has been converted into a business.

The old barn has been renovated and converted into a cozy cottage with solar panels for uninterrupted supply of electricity. The old barn has been moved adjacent to the farmhouse. The track has been renovated and a proper road has been constructed for ease of access to the property. A farm shop has been established which sells a variety of the products which are freshly grown near the river. The sheep grazing area has been converted into a camping site for adventerous visitors.

However, the farmhouse and the chicken's area remains the same and still serves it purpose as a core part of the Beechwood Farm.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad change from a working farm to a visitor-oriented site, and you mention several relevant features, including the new shop, camping area, road and retained farmhouse and chicken enclosure. However, the account is only partly accurate and omits important changes shown on the plans. The barn was not converted into a cottage or moved beside the farmhouse: it remains a barn, located south-west of the farmhouse, while four holiday cottages occupy the area south of the eastern road. Solar panels are a separate new feature, and the sheep area is not simply the camping field. The overview also overlooks retained fruit, soft-fruit and vegetable production. A more precise comparison of the main land-use changes would make the response more complete and reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an opening summary, a group of changes, and a final contrast about the farmhouse and chickens. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and the contrastive “However” signals a change in focus. Nevertheless, the progression is limited because features are listed one after another without a clear spatial or thematic grouping, and the final sentence does not fully balance the earlier claims. Some links between ideas are also unclear—for example, the barn, cottage and solar panels are combined in one claim, although these are distinct features on the plan. Organise the comparison by areas or by retained versus new features, and use linking phrases to show those relationships accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing development, such as “converted,” “established,” “grazing area” and “ease of access,” and the general meaning is usually clear. However, several choices are imprecise or overly evaluative for a map report. “Holiday retreat destination,” “commercialization” and “business” make broad claims rather than describing the mapped changes, while “cozy cottage” is not supported by the plan. There are also noticeable spelling and form errors, including “adventerous” and “chicken’s.” Aim for neutral, specific terms such as “holiday cottages,” “camping field,” “internal road” and “solar panels,” and describe what is visibly present rather than inferring its purpose or quality.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You produce a mixture of simple statements and some longer structures, and most of the intended meaning can be followed. The opening uses a compound sentence, while “which sells a variety of the products which are freshly grown near the river” attempts to add detail through a relative clause. However, control is uneven: “the farmhouse and the chicken’s area remains” has a plural subject with a singular verb, and “still serves it purpose” has an incorrect pronoun form. The phrase “over the year” is also grammatically awkward in this context, and the final sentence joins ideas in a way that would benefit from clearer punctuation. Practise checking subject–verb agreement, pronoun forms and sentence boundaries, while keeping complex sentences concise.

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