Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-16

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 diagram illustrates the changes that have taken place at the beechwood farm between 1950 and the present day.

Overall, it is clear that there are several major advancements in the infrastructure of the farm, especially, in the sheep fence, which was totally changed into new structures. While there are some minor changes near the track which was converted into a road. Few of them remained the same

In terms of sheep fence, which is now totally converted into new infrastructure, including two parking lots near the road, a camping field, which has one tree near it, and the right side of the area has about four solar panels installed.

On the other hand, close to the river there were soft fruits and vegetables, which did not change, while the fruit trees had a new farm shop near it, connected by the road. The barn is replaced into holiday cottages, while the barn is now connected by two cojoining roads. Whereas, farmhouse and chickens remained the same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the new parking areas, camping field, solar panels and farm shop, and you note that the river-side crops and chickens remain. However, the overview is unclear: the claim that the sheep area became “new structures” is too broad, and the response does not clearly summarise the farm’s overall transformation. Some details are inaccurate or confusing. The barn was not replaced by holiday cottages; the barn remains, while cottages were added south of the eastern road. The farmhouse and chicken enclosure also remain, but their positions could be described more precisely. To strengthen the report, compare the main areas systematically and distinguish retained features from additions and changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to descriptions of the northern area and the river-side plots. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “On the other hand” signal a shift. However, progression within paragraphs is not always clear: the sentence beginning “In terms of sheep fence” combines several new features without explaining their locations or relationships, and the final paragraph moves abruptly from crops to the barn and farmhouse. “While” and “Whereas” are also used in ways that make the comparisons feel disconnected. Group features by location or by whether they remained, changed or were added, and use clearer links between those groups.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “parking lots,” “camping field,” “solar panels,” “farm shop” and “remained the same,” so the reader can recognise many of the features. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a site plan. “Sheep fence” does not match the map’s label “Sheep,” and “advancements” suggests improvement rather than simply change. “Cojoining roads” is not a natural description of the road layout, while “replaced into” is an inaccurate collocation. Repetition of “road” and “new structures” also limits precision. Choose neutral terms such as “area,” “converted,” “added” and “junction,” and use location phrases to describe features accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some complex sentences, for example, “While there are some minor changes near the track which was converted into a road,” and uses contrast clauses to compare the two plans. However, these attempts are often incomplete or awkwardly joined. “Few of them remained the same” lacks a clear subject, and “While farmhouse and chickens remained the same” is a dependent clause presented as a complete sentence. There are also errors in articles and number, as in “the beechwood farm” and “two cojoining roads,” and punctuation is inconsistent, including the comma splice after “Overall.” Use complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check articles, plurals and clause boundaries.

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

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