Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 PROVIDED PLAN COMPARES THE FARM SITE IN THE YEAR 1950 AND THE CHANGES TODAY.

OVERALL, THERE ARE A LOT OF CHANGES THAT HAPPENED IN THE LARGE FIELD FOR SHEEP FOR OVER 50 YEARS. AS OF TODAY THE AREA IS TURNED INTO A CAMPING FIELD AND SITE FOR SOLAR PANELS WITH TWO PARKING AREAS. THERE IS NO MUCH CHANGE FOR THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD. NEW FARM HOUSE WAS BUILT AND THE BARN FROM FIVE DECADES AGO BARN IS NOW RENOVATED INTO A HOLIDAY COTTAGES.

THE WIDE SHEEP YARD WAS COMPLETELY EMPTY IN THE YEAR 1950. HOWEVER TODAY, HALF OF THE SHEEP YARD WAS TURNED INTO A CAMPING FIELD AND THE OTHER WAS WERE THE SOLAR PANELS ARE BUILT. TWO PARKING AREAS WAS ALSO CONSTRUCTED ON BOTH ENDS OF THE FIELD. MOREOVER, THE TRACK WAS MODERNIZED NOW INTO A ROAD WHICH WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR PEOPLE WITH CARS.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD, THE LAND FIELD IS ATILL ON THE AREA WITH NEW FARM SHOP CONSTRUCTED NEAR THE FRUIT TREES. AS OF TODAY, THE BARN WAS TURNED INTO HOLIDAY COTTAGES WITH HAVING THE BARN RELOCATED NEAR THE CHICKENS.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast between the large sheep field in 1950 and its later use for camping and solar panels, and you note the new parking areas, farm shop and holiday cottages. These are relevant features and give the response a clear overall focus. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the farm shop is described as being near the fruit trees, but it lies between the fruit trees and the internal road; the barn was not relocated near the chickens, as the original barn remains in the southern part of the site. The claim that there is “no much change” on the other side also overlooks the continued fruit, soft-fruit and vegetable plots and the changed access roads. Develop these comparisons more precisely to cover the plans more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing the sheep-field area and the remaining farmland. This gives the reader a generally coherent route through the comparison. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “However” and “Moreover” help signal relationships, although some transitions feel mechanical or do not clearly connect the ideas. For example, “On the other side of the road” is not a precise location reference, and the final sentence combines the cottages and barn changes in a way that is difficult to follow. Organise details by location or by what changed versus what remained, and use clearer references to the two plans so that each comparison is easy to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “camping field,” “solar panels,” “parking areas,” “farm shop” and “holiday cottages.” These terms communicate several important changes, and “modernized” attempts to describe the development of the track. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward: “sheep yard” and “land field” are not suitable labels for the areas shown, while “renovated into” does not accurately describe the barn’s change of use. “There is no much change” also shows imprecise phrasing. Choose map-specific terms such as “field,” “plot” and “track,” and use precise verbs such as “converted,” “added” or “remained” to describe changes and continuities.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple statements and longer sentences, including contrast clauses beginning with “However” and “while.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and agreement are noticeable. For example, “There is no much change” has an incorrect determiner, and “Two parking areas was also constructed” has a plural subject with a singular verb. The sentence “the other was were the solar panels are built” contains a faulty clause structure, while “with having the barn relocated” is an awkward and grammatically unsuccessful construction. Tense control also shifts between past and present when describing the plans. Practise forming clear past-tense descriptions of the 1950 plan and present-tense descriptions of today, checking agreement and clause structure in each sentence.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.