Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The plans illustrate the beechwood farm during 1950 and the same site now.

Overall, the plan underwent a substantial development, by adding some key areas, and some areas are being removed or relocated. The large sheep has changed with multiple of key features.

In 1950, the north of the river are fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables connected with the track line. The opposite of the west are barn and below farmhouse and chickens. The large area opposite the track is sheep.

Turning to the todays farm, the sheep area has added with Camping field, a parking area is in camping field , and there are solar panels in the corner along with the other parking. The fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables remained same but farm shop has been added near the fruit trees. The tracks has been removed with roads whom barn has been relocated with them. The old place of barn has been replaced by holiday cottages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the broad change from a farm to a more developed site and mention several key features, including the new camping field, solar panels, farm shop and holiday cottages. You also note that the fruit and vegetable areas remain. However, some comparisons are inaccurate or unclear: the sheep area is not simply replaced by the camping field, as the camping field occupies only part of the former open area, and the parking is not in the camping field. The barn’s position is also described imprecisely: the original barn remains, while the new cottages are near the former farmhouse area. Develop the overview around the main changes in land use and access, and describe locations more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the two time periods. This gives the reader a general route through the comparison, and phrases such as “In 1950” and “Turning to” help signal shifts. However, several relationships between features are difficult to follow, particularly “The opposite of the west are barn and below farmhouse and chickens” and the description of the new parking and camping areas. Some linking is mechanical, and the final paragraph combines many changes without a clear order. Organise details by location or by what changed versus what remained, and use clearer references such as “to the east of the track” to make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “river,” “track,” “fruit trees,” “solar panels” and “holiday cottages,” and you attempt to describe change with “substantial development” and “relocated.” This provides an adequate foundation for the task. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “The large sheep,” “has added with Camping field,” and “roads whom barn has been relocated with them.” “Opposite” is also used where a more precise directional phrase is needed. These choices sometimes make the intended relationships unclear. Build a more accurate set of location phrases and change verbs, for example “was converted into,” “was added,” “lies to the north of,” and “remained unchanged.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the time contrast is generally apparent. However, errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles and verb forms occur across the response and sometimes obscure meaning. For example, “the north of the river are fruit trees” has an incorrect subject–verb relationship and prepositional construction, while “The tracks has been removed” has a plural subject with a singular verb. “The sheep area has added” also needs a passive form, such as “has been replaced in part by.” The sentence beginning “The opposite of the west” is difficult to parse. Practise accurate location clauses and past-to-present passive forms, then check each sentence for a clear subject and correctly matched verb.

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