Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-01

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 given plans show the site of Beechwood Farm in 1950 and the same site today.

In 1950, Beechwood Farm was situated beside a river and there was a bridge on the river. The farm consists of different kinds of fruit trees and animals ,vegetables garden and a farmhouse. There is a track which separated the fruits and vegetables garden and sheep. A barn is situated besides the track and which is used to store different kinds of grain.

Todays plan site has been changed and there are lots of facilities also included. In todays plan site, a farm shop , two parking areas, camping field, Holiday cottages amd solar panels also introduced. The barn has been moved and the river got bend more than in 1950.Tracks are changed into road and chickens and farmhouse ,fruits and vegetables garden did not changed their position over 50 years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the two time periods and mention several important changes, including the new farm shop, parking, camping field, cottages and solar panels. However, the comparison is only partly developed: the overview is vague, and some details are inaccurate or unsupported. For example, the transcription does not show a bridge, and the barn is not simply described as having been moved; today it is positioned south-west of the farmhouse. The river’s course is broadly similar, so saying it “got bend more” is unclear. You also claim that the farmhouse, chickens and all crop areas did not change position, which is too general. The response is 139 words, below the required 150; the eight words copied from the prompt are excluded. Add a clearer overview and accurate location comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic chronological structure: one paragraph describes 1950 and the next describes today. This makes the broad comparison easy to follow, and phrases such as “In 1950” and “Todays plan site” signal the time shift. However, the progression within each paragraph is limited, with several features listed without a clear spatial order or explanation of how they relate. The final sentence combines multiple claims about roads, buildings and fields, making the comparison difficult to track. Some linking is also awkward, as in “a barn is situated besides the track and which…”. Organise details by area or by what changed and what remained, and use clearer links between related features.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “river,” “track,” “farmhouse,” “parking areas” and “solar panels,” so the reader can identify many of the features being compared. There is some variety in describing change, such as “introduced” and “changed into.” However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “different kinds of fruit trees and animals” does not clearly describe the labelled land uses, while “the river got bend more” is not an appropriate way to report its course. Spelling and word-form slips such as “amd” and “Todays” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise terms such as “plots,” “field,” “retained” and “converted,” and check spelling and possessive forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer structures, and the main meaning is generally recoverable. However, grammatical errors are frequent, and attempts to join clauses are often faulty. For example, “a barn is situated besides the track and which is used…” has an incorrect clause connection, while “The farm consists” shifts into the present tense when describing 1950. There are also errors in articles, agreement and verb forms: “a vegetables garden,” “chickens and farmhouse … did not changed,” and “there are lots of facilities also included.” Punctuation and spacing around commas are inconsistent. Use past tense consistently for the 1950 plan, present tense for today, and practise joining clauses with a clear conjunction or relative pronoun.

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

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