Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-15
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 two plans illustrates the changes happended to the site of Beechwood farm from 1950 to the present day.
Overall, the site has been updated considerably during the last half-century. Some areas such as fruit tress, soft fruits, vegetables, chickens and farmhouse areas are remain same including river and highways. The barn area is shifted and numerous things are added in the sheeping area including parking, camping field and solar panels.
In 1950, the area occupied for the farm was in the northern part of the river and eastern part of the highway. In the middle of the area the was a track involving a triangular shape track at around the center. The area in the north-eastern cornern was occupied for sheeping. The area between the river and track, the was fruit tress, soft fruits, vegetables, chickens, farmhouse and barn from left to right.
By today, the track is converted into road and the two parking areas, camping field, and solar panels are installed in the sheeping area. Barn is moved to the southern corne
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the broad change from a farm to a more visitor-oriented site, noting new parking, camping and solar panels, and you attempt to compare the two plans. However, several important details are inaccurate or unclear. The fruit trees, soft fruits, vegetables, farmhouse and chickens are not all simply unchanged: the fields remain, but the farmhouse and barn are repositioned relative to the new road layout, and the barn is described only vaguely as moving to a “southern corner.” The 1950 description also places the crops and buildings “from left to right,” which does not match their arrangement. The overview would be stronger if it clearly summarised the main transformation and accurately distinguished retained features from relocated or added ones.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate descriptions of the earlier and current plans. This gives the reader a basic chronological route through the information. However, progression within the paragraphs is not always clear: the 1950 paragraph combines the track, sheep area, crops and buildings in a confusing sequence, while the final paragraph ends abruptly after introducing the barn’s new position. Some linking is also awkward or repetitive, particularly “including” in the overview and the repeated use of “area.” Organise each plan by location or by feature, and use clear comparisons to connect the two periods. Completing the final description would also make the account feel more coherent.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “northern part,” “north-eastern corner,” “triangular shape,” and “converted into road,” so the reader can identify several locations and changes. However, the range is limited and some word choices or forms make the meaning less precise. “Sheeping area” is not a natural term for land used for sheep; “sheep pasture” or “grazing area” would be clearer. “Fruit tress” is misspelled, and “highway” is less suitable than “main road” for this plan. Phrases such as “the area occupied for the farm” and “numerous things are added” are vague. Use precise terms for map features and changes, such as “was replaced by,” “was relocated,” and “was converted into.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
There are attempts at longer sentences and comparisons, but grammatical control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make the relationships between features difficult to follow. For example, “The two plans illustrates” has subject–verb disagreement, while “Some areas … are remain same” combines incompatible verb forms. The sentence beginning “In the middle of the area the was a track” has faulty word order, and “the area between the river and track, the was…” is incomplete and difficult to interpret. Tense and article use also need attention in descriptions of the past and present. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with clauses such as “while” or “whereas”; check agreement, verb forms and sentence completeness during editing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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