Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-12

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 map delineate the changes that have been taken in beechwood farm between 1950 and present day.

Overall, the sheep area is now converted into four section. The most noticeable changes are addition of holiday cottages, parking and farm shop but the farmhouse, fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables are remained.

In 1950, the beechwood farm was located at the bank of the road. However, sheep is covered large portion of the farm. The farm consist of agriculture land. The east side of the farm occupied by fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables. In addition to, there was a barn , farmhouse and chickens which was taken place on the west side of the farm. There was a river which was fallowed beside the farm.

At present age, there are many changing done in the farm such as the track is converted into proper road. Therefore, the solar panels, camping field and parking are taken place on the sheep area. After that, holiday cottage is also established on the west side of the farm. In contrast, the fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables are remained but farm shop is added in this section.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the broad change from a sheep area to a more developed farm, and your overview correctly notes the additions of holiday cottages, parking and a farm shop while several agricultural features remain. You also mention the new road and the camping and solar-panel areas. However, some key locations are misreported: the holiday cottages are south of the eastbound road, not on the farm’s west side, and the barn, farmhouse and chicken enclosure are not on the west side in 1950. The statement that the farmhouse and all three crop areas remained also overlooks that the barn has moved and that the present-day layout includes substantial new facilities. To strengthen the response, describe the main changes more precisely and compare the buildings’ locations across the two plans.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by separate descriptions of 1950 and today. This makes the comparison easy to follow at a basic level. Some linking is effective, such as “Overall” and “At present age,” but other transitions are mechanical or do not show a clear relationship; for example, “After that” does not accurately signal the relationship between the new facilities and the cottages. References such as “this section” and “the west side” are also unclear or inaccurate, which weakens cohesion. For a stronger progression, group information by location or by what changed versus what remained, and use precise references to the map rather than relying on broad directional labels.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “river,” “track,” “solar panels,” “camping field” and “holiday cottages,” so the reader can recognise many of the features being described. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “changes that have been taken,” “sheep is covered large portion,” and “many changing done.” “At present age” is also an unsuitable phrase for describing the current plan. These choices sometimes make the description less clear, even though the intended meaning is usually recoverable. Aim for standard map-description expressions such as “changes made,” “occupies a large area,” and “has been converted into a road,” and check word forms and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, including a contrast with “In contrast,” and the overall meaning can generally be followed. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction occur across the response. For example, “The map delineate” needs subject–verb agreement, while “sheep is covered large portion” has an incorrect verb pattern and missing article. “The farm consist” and “the farmhouse, fruit trees … are remained” also show problems with verb forms and passive construction. Some sentences combine clauses awkwardly, as in “Therefore, the solar panels, camping field and parking are taken place.” Practise accurate present and past forms and use straightforward structures reliably before adding longer clauses.

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

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