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 illustration gives information about the site map and structure of a farm in 1950 and in nowadays. Overall, there is a main road and a river that pass through the farm.

In 1950, there was a track through out the farm. On the one side of the track there was an area for sheep. While on the other side of the track there was a fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables area. There is also an area for the chickens, farmhouse and also a bran.

In nowadays, the site is upgraded and track converted into a road, bran shifted to another place and the holiday cottages build at bran area. On the other side of the road there is solar panels installed and two parking areas build at end of the road and at the start of road with the main road. There is also build some camping area in the middle sheep area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two time periods and mention several relevant changes, including the track becoming a road, the addition of parking, solar panels and a camping area, and the relocation of the barn. However, the overview is too general: saying that a road and river pass through the farm does not summarise the main transformation of the site. Some details are unclear or inaccurate. The barn was not replaced by holiday cottages: the cottages are south of the eastern road, while the barn remains in a different position. The response also omits the farm shop and gives little account of which original features, such as the farmhouse, chickens and crop plots, remain. A clearer overview and more precise comparisons would make the report more complete and developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a basic, sensible structure: it introduces the maps, describes 1950, and then turns to the present. This makes the time comparison easy to follow, and phrases such as “In 1950” and “In nowadays” signal the shift between periods. However, the progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. “On the one side” and “on the other side” do not specify the locations precisely, and “On the other side of the road” in the final paragraph has an uncertain reference. The repeated use of “there was” and “there is also” makes the account feel list-like. Grouping features by location and using clearer links between what remained and what changed would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “site map,” “main road,” “river,” “solar panels,” “parking areas” and “holiday cottages,” so the reader can identify many of the features. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. For example, “the site is upgraded” is vague for describing changes to a farm, and “bran shifted” appears to refer to the barn but is not the correct word. “At end of the road” and “at the start of road” are also imprecise descriptions. Aim for more exact verbs such as “was converted,” “was added” and “was relocated,” and check spelling and natural combinations of words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response uses mostly simple sentence patterns, with a few attempts to connect ideas, such as “While on the other side of the track…” and “and track converted into a road.” Errors in verb forms, articles, agreement and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some statements awkward or unclear. For example, “in nowadays” should be “today,” “the holiday cottages build” needs a passive form (“were built”), and “there was a fruit trees” has an agreement and article problem. The sentence beginning “While on the other side” is also a fragment. Practise accurate past-tense and passive constructions for map changes, and use complete sentences with consistent tense.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.