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 illustrate a farm named Beechwood farm and depicts it's development over from 1950 to today.

Overall, the development of the beechwood farm is very advanced today then it was back in 1950.

The Beechwood farm had a large area for sheeps at the right top in 1950. It was surround by tracks all over. Fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables were arranged serially.Under the track on the right side there were a small area for barn and on the south-west there were a farmhouse as well. The farm even had some space for chickens. The farm's east,west and south's side were surrounded by a river.

The farm have two parking area , a camping field and solar panel now where it had a large area for sheeps. The tracks are now rebuilt into roads. There is a small farm shop in the fruit trees area but soft fruits vegetables, farmhouse, chickens are still at the same place.

The barn is moved to another place but in its previous place there are holiday cottages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the two time periods and report several important changes, including the addition of parking, a camping field, solar panels and a farm shop, as well as the conversion of the former barn area to holiday cottages. The overview, however, is vague: saying the farm is “very advanced” does not clearly summarise how its use has changed. Some locations are also inaccurate or unclear. In 1950, the sheep area was north of the track, not at the “right top”; the farmhouse was south of the barn, rather than south-west of it. The claim that the river surrounded the east, west and south sides is not supported by the plan. A clearer overview and more precise comparisons of the new facilities and retained agricultural areas would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph about 1950 and a final paragraph about today. This gives the reader a basic chronological route through the maps, and contrasts such as “now” and “in 1950” help signal the comparison. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow. For example, the 1950 paragraph moves from sheep to tracks, crop plots, buildings and the river without consistently locating them in relation to one another. The final paragraph also combines new facilities with unchanged features and the barn’s relocation in a compressed sequence. Use clearer spatial groupings and linking phrases such as “to the north-east” or “by contrast” to make relationships easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “parking area,” “camping field,” “farm shop,” “holiday cottages” and “river,” so the main features are generally understandable. There are also attempts to describe change, such as “rebuilt” and “moved.” However, some word choices are imprecise or unnatural: “very advanced” does not convey the specific nature of the development, “arranged serially” is an awkward way to describe the crop plots, and “tracks all over” is too vague for a map description. “Sheeps” is also an incorrect plural form. Aim for precise location and change vocabulary, such as “north of,” “replaced by,” and “converted into,” and check spelling and collocations to improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including the contrast in “where it had a large area for sheeps” and the relative clause “where there are holiday cottages.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some errors recur in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction. For example, “The map illustrate” needs subject–verb agreement, while “The farm have” should use the correct verb form. “The development … is very advanced today then it was” has an incorrect comparison structure, and “there were a small area” has an agreement error. Punctuation and spacing are also inconsistent, as in “serially.Under.” Practise accurate past-versus-present descriptions and comparison structures, while proofreading each sentence for agreement and articles.

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