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 map below illustrate how the layout of farm site was in 1950, compared to the current site.

Overall, the farm has undergone considerable redevelopment. Animal shelter have been reduced, while more space has been allocated to vacation and solar panels. The running area has been converted into way of transport.

In 1950, most of the farm area was devoted for animal storage. The main track was connected with the highway which is built above the river. Fruit trees are located to the right of the entry side, followed by soft fruits and vegetables area, opposite side of these field across the track, huge land was devoted to sheep. In the bottom corner above the river, chicken sheds were built, above that, farmhouse and barn were located.

Since then, the facility has witnessed extensive renovation. The highway now connects with the road which was built for trasportation. On the left side of the road, a small area was devoted for vehicle parking connected with the highway, next to parking area, camping spot was designated alongside the installation of solar panels, another parking spot was built underneath the solar sheets. The barn was relocated and was connected with the road, Other than that everything stayed similar to the old site.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad change from a farm to a more visitor-oriented site, and your overview mentions new holiday facilities and solar panels. You also compare the 1950 track with the present road network. However, several important changes are omitted or inaccurately described: the sheep area is not mentioned as having become a camping field, the farmhouse remains in place, and the barn is not relocated—it remains near the farmhouse, although the access roads have changed. The claim that “everything stayed similar” overlooks the farm shop, holiday cottages, parking areas and the changed land use. Develop the comparison by covering the main transformations accurately and distinguishing what remained from what changed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and separate paragraphs for the two time periods. This gives the reader a basic chronological route through the maps. Within the detail paragraphs, however, information is sometimes crowded into long sequences, particularly the description beginning “On the left side of the road,” where several features are linked by commas. Some references are also unclear, such as “the entry side” and “the bottom corner above the river.” Use clearer location-based grouping—for example, describe the western fields first and then the eastern facilities—and use full stops or more controlled linking to make relationships easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing change and location, including “considerable redevelopment,” “converted,” “connected” and “relocated.” These choices show an attempt to use a range beyond basic map labels. However, several expressions are imprecise or do not fit the map, such as “animal storage” for the sheep area and “chicken sheds” for the labelled chicken enclosure. There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice problems, including “trasportation,” “vacation” and “solar sheets.” Prefer precise map language and check collocations: the site has a road network, parking areas and holiday cottages, rather than a general “running area” or “way of transport.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, and the past-to-present contrast is generally understandable. Some errors remain in agreement, articles and sentence construction. For example, “The two map below illustrate” needs plural agreement, while “Animal shelter have been reduced” has a singular/plural mismatch. The opening also needs an article in “the layout of a farm site,” and “most of the farm area was devoted for” uses an incorrect preposition pattern. Several long sentences are joined mainly with commas, as in the description of parking and camping, which weakens punctuation control. Aim for accurate basic clauses first, then connect them with carefully punctuated complex sentences.

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

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