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 plans demonstrate a farm site in 1950 and the same in today.

Overall, the farm has been replaced some items. Additionally in today, some new items have been introduced while one has been rearranged it’s position. However, some items are still unchanged.

In 1950, the farm had some items such as track, sheep. Those items are not present in today. They had been replaced by road, parkings, camping field and solar panels in today’s time. Track is replaced by road and sheep area are replaced by parkings (one parking is beside the road and another parking is opposite of holiday cottages), camping field is in the middle of the field and solar panel is opposite of parking.

Some new items have been added in recent times which were missing in 1950. Those items are farm shop and holiday cottages. Farm shop is in fruit trees area and holiday cottages is in beside of farmhouse.

In 1950, the barn was beside the track where today it has connected with road in triangular area.

Today some items such as fruit trees, soft fruits, vegetables, chicken, farmhouse and river are still unchanged their position and still placed exact same as like in 1950.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main change from a working farm to a site with new visitor facilities, and you note several features that remain, including the fruit plots, farmhouse, chickens and river. These points address the task and are generally relevant. However, some comparisons are inaccurate or unclear: the sheep area is not simply replaced by parking, as the current plan shows a camping field and solar panels in the north-east, while parking is in two specific locations. The farm shop is between the fruit trees and internal road, rather than within the fruit-tree area. Your overview also says items have been “replaced” without clearly distinguishing what was removed, added or retained. More precise descriptions of the major changes and the barn’s relocation would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing changes and retained features. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the body is uneven, and several points are repeated or grouped without a clear spatial order. For example, the paragraph beginning “In 1950” moves from removed features to parking, camping and solar panels, then gives several locations in a long sentence. The linking phrases “Additionally,” “Some new items” and “In 1950” help signal sections, but connections between individual comparisons are sometimes mechanical or unclear. Organise the details by area—for example, the western fields, northern facilities and eastern buildings—and use clear references such as “the former sheep area” to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “track,” “farmhouse,” “holiday cottages,” “solar panels” and “triangular area,” so the reader can identify many of the features being compared. However, the range is limited and some word choices or combinations are noticeably unnatural, such as “replaced some items,” “parkings,” “in today’s time” and “still unchanged their position.” Repeated use of “items” also makes the descriptions vague. Choose precise verbs for map changes, such as “converted,” “added” or “relocated,” and use standard forms such as “parking areas.” More accurate collocations and varied terms for features and locations would make the report clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparisons, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors recur in basic patterns. Examples include “the farm has been replaced some items,” which lacks a suitable passive construction, and “some items are still unchanged their position,” where the verb pattern is incorrect. There are also problems with articles and prepositions in “is in beside of farmhouse,” while “one has been rearranged it’s position” has faulty clause structure and punctuation. The long sentence beginning “Track is replaced by road” combines several ideas without reliable grammatical control. Practise accurate past and present passive forms and build longer sentences around one clear comparison at a time.

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.