Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-21

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 illustrates the layout of a farm in 1950 and in present time.

Overall, it go through a lot of changes as it was not packed and dense area in that time in contrast to now. Since certain novel ventures introduce in present day site largely in the sheep area and walikin track.

Apparently, in 1950 north east area allocated mainly for the sheep which is now transform into various sections such as two parking sites present at west corner adjacent to main road and other at eastern end. Moreover, the centre area now represent the camping site with plantation of trees and at the top north eastern area, solar panels are mounted.

Probing ahead, the walking track all over the farm now changed into the road. However, there is no alteration in certain sites like fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables with few exceptions like addition of farm shops in fruit trees area. Furthermore, barn has been relocated at the triangular road area and barn site replaced with holiday cottages in the present layout.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast between the less developed 1950 farm and its present-day uses, and you report several relevant changes: the sheep area has been repurposed, a camping area and solar panels have appeared, and the track system has become roads. You also note that the fruit, soft-fruit and vegetable plots remain broadly in place. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear. The two parking areas are not both at the west corner and eastern end as stated; one is near the main-road junction and the other beside the eastern road. The barn’s relocation and the cottages replacing its former site are also difficult to follow. Develop the overview and describe the key changes more precisely, including the farmhouse and chicken enclosure, which remain in the same general area.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the comparison, and linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “However,” and “Furthermore” help connect points. At times, though, the progression is weakened by unclear references and crowded sentences. For example, “Since certain novel ventures introduce in present day site largely in the sheep area and walikin track” does not clearly state which developments are being summarised. The final sentence also combines the barn’s new position with the cottages’ location in a way that is hard to interpret. Organise the body by areas or by unchanged and changed features, and use clearer references to each location.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing a map, including “allocated,” “sections,” “relocated,” and “layout,” and the reader can generally understand the changes you intend to report. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision. “Packed and dense area” is not a natural description of the 1950 plan, while “novel ventures introduce” and “walking track” do not express the intended changes clearly. There are also spelling errors, including “walikin,” and phrases such as “plantation of trees” are less suitable for describing the camping field. Choose straightforward, accurate map language and check spelling and collocations; this will make your comparisons more precise without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses with “while” and “However,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. Some grammatical errors nevertheless make several sentences difficult to read. For example, “it go through a lot of changes” has incorrect subject–verb agreement and tense, and “certain novel ventures introduce” is missing an appropriate verb form. In “the centre area now represent,” the verb does not agree with its subject, while “which is now transform” has an incorrect passive form. Articles and sentence construction also need attention in phrases such as “in present time” and “at the top north eastern area.” Practise accurate past-versus-present descriptions and check each sentence for a complete, correctly formed verb.

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.