Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-11

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 4.0)

The two maps illustrate the change in the farm from 1950 to today.

Overall,it can be clearly seen that the main structure of the farm remain almostly the same with some relocations and buildings.

Initially ,the highway and the flow of the river remains the same

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The opening identifies the task as a comparison of the farm in 1950 and today, and the overview attempts to describe the overall change. However, the response reports almost none of the map’s key features: it does not mention the new farm shop, parking, camping field, solar panels or holiday cottages, nor explain what happened to the original layout. The claim that the farm’s main structure remains “almostly the same” is too broad and does not capture the substantial additions and changes shown. The statement about the highway and river remaining the same is relevant but only a small part of the comparison. The response is also far below the required 150 words, leaving the task substantially incomplete. Describe the main changes and support the overview with specific locations and comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic sequence: an introductory sentence, an overview, and then an initial detail about the road and river. This gives the reader a minimal sense of progression, and “Overall” signals an attempt to distinguish the summary from the details. However, the response ends before it develops a coherent account of the maps, and there is no paragraphing or grouping of features by area or by what changed and stayed the same. The transition “Initially” does not lead into a developed description. Build a clear structure with an introduction, an overview, and one or two detail paragraphs, using location-based links such as “in the north-east” and comparison phrases such as “whereas” or “in contrast.”

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small set of relevant terms, including “maps,” “farm,” “highway,” and “river,” so the basic subject is understandable. However, the vocabulary is too limited to describe the many features and changes in the plans, and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural. “Highway” is not the clearest label for the road shown, while “relocations and buildings” does not precisely explain the changes. “Almostly” is not a standard English word; use “almost” or “largely.” Expand the range of map-description language, including terms such as “is situated,” “was replaced by,” “was converted into,” and “to the north-east of,” so that locations and changes can be reported precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response contains simple sentence forms that communicate the general topic, but it shows little variety or control across a full description. In “the main structure of the farm remain,” the singular subject requires “remains.” The next sentence also has a subject–verb agreement problem: “the highway and the flow of the river remains” should use “remain.” The opening of the overview has punctuation and spacing problems in “Overall,it,” and “Initially ,” and the final sentence is incomplete in development. Practise accurate present and past forms when comparing the maps, and use complete sentences with clauses such as “While the river remains in place, new facilities have been added in the north-east.”

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

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