Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 two plans compare the layout of the farm in 1950 with it's current site.

Overall, a significant change is recoreded in the road system. The track is converted into a road. As well as, several new developments is seen in the northern, eastern and western site.

In 1950, the main road is present in the northwestern side of the site with a river bridge in the western corner. A large space in the northern side is available as sheep. Track is used for walking or running from one place to another. Fruit trees, soft fruits, and vegetables are present in the southern side of the site. Furthermore, Ban, Farmhouse and chickens area are the available in the southeastern side.

Today, the track is converted into a road so that people can drive from one place to another. Multiple new sites are established in the Sheep area such as Parking, Camping field, Solar Panels. Two parking spaces are installed in the Sheep area. One is present right with the main road, other in complete eastern edge of the sheep area. A new Farm shop is made with main road in Fruit trees area. Barn location is replaced and placed with the road junction in southern side. A new Holiday cottages is installed in the eastern part facing the road.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main transformation—the track becoming a road—and mention several new uses, including parking, camping, solar panels and holiday cottages. You also compare the two dates and include some original features, such as the river and agricultural plots. However, the overview is broad and does not clearly summarise the most important pattern: the farm retains its fruit, soft-fruit and vegetable areas, while the northern and eastern parts gain visitor facilities and the buildings are rearranged. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the barn is not simply replaced; it remains but is relocated, and the farm shop is between the fruit trees and road rather than within the fruit-tree area. The account addresses the task, but several comparisons need fuller and more precise development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of 1950 and today. This makes the chronological comparison easy to follow, and phrases such as “In 1950” and “Today” provide useful signposting. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. “As well as” is not correctly integrated into the overview, and “so that people can drive from one place to another” repeats the road-conversion point rather than advancing the comparison. The description of the two parking areas is also difficult to follow because “right with the main road” and “other in complete eastern edge” do not clearly locate them. Group related changes and use precise references such as “north-east of the entrance” to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “layout,” “river,” “junction,” “parking spaces” and “holiday cottages,” and you attempt to describe change with “converted,” “established” and “replaced.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “available as sheep” should describe land “used for sheep grazing,” while “sites are established” is less suitable than “facilities were added.” “Track is used for walking or running” introduces an unsupported interpretation rather than describing its function on the plan. There are also spelling errors, notably “recoreded” and “Ban.” Aim for concise, map-specific vocabulary and check spelling; for example, use “relocated” for the barn’s change of position and “retained” for features that remain.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more developed sentences, and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, errors in agreement, articles, tense and sentence construction occur often enough to make some descriptions awkward. For example, “several new developments is seen” should be “several new developments are seen,” and “A new Holiday cottages is installed” has a plural noun with a singular verb. “The available in the southeastern side” is an incomplete and incorrectly formed phrase, while “with it's current site” uses the wrong form of the possessive. Keep the past tense for the 1950 plan and use the present consistently for today. Practise accurate noun phrases and agreement, and revise sentences aloud to catch missing or misplaced grammatical elements.

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

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