Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-02

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 image shows Beechwood Farm from 1950, and the same farm from today with newer sites, and improvements, to fit these times standards.

As we can witness the given images show many differences between one another. The new version of the farm shows how the farm was renewed, and the image from 1950 shows how it was orginally. With the biggest different being the sheep place removed completely in the new image.

In the 1950 image we can see that the fruit trees had a wider space, now however it has been changed to have a slighly smaller space, for it to fit a farm shop. On another hand soft fruits, and vegetable farms have not been changed since 1950.

Now let us move on to the major differences, we can see that the track has been changed to a road. Also the

barn is half its size and the road can reach into it, and what has taken its place is holiday cottages

The newer version of the farm also includes solar panels, parking , and camping instead of the sheep farm.

In conclusion, rhe biggest change is the sheeps side of the farm.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the overall change from a sheep area to a more developed farm, and you compare several features, including the smaller fruit-tree area, the farm shop, road access, parking, camping and solar panels. However, the account is only partly complete: it overlooks the holiday cottages’ location and the unchanged farmhouse and chicken enclosure, and it does not clearly describe the new layout. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the barn is not shown as half its former size, and the cottages have not replaced it; they are south of the eastbound road, while the barn remains elsewhere on the site. The claim that the soft-fruit and vegetable areas have not changed also misses their changed arrangement. A fuller, more accurate overview and clearer comparisons would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to comparisons and a conclusion, and phrases such as “In the 1950 image” and “Now let us move on” signal shifts in focus. However, progression is not consistently clear: the second paragraph repeats the general idea that the maps differ, while the later paragraph introduces the barn and cottages in a confusing sequence. The final sentence repeats the sheep point rather than drawing together the main changes. Some linking is mechanical or awkward, as in “On another hand,” and the unfinished transition “Also the” interrupts the flow. Organise the body by location or by unchanged and changed features, and use clearer references to show how each feature relates to the others.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing maps, including “farm shop,” “solar panels,” “parking,” “camping,” and “changed to a road,” so the main topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural for an academic report. “Newer sites” and “fit these times standards” do not clearly describe the changes, while “sheep place” and “sheeps side” are informal and vague. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “orginally,” “slighly,” and “rhe.” Aim for precise map vocabulary such as “area,” “field,” “converted,” and “remained unchanged,” and check spelling carefully. This would make descriptions more concise and accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “now however” and a clause beginning “for it to fit a farm shop.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors and awkward sentence construction recur. For example, “The given image shows … and the same farm from today” has an unclear structure, and “With the biggest different being…” is a sentence fragment. The sentence beginning “Also the barn…” is left incomplete before the line break, and “the barn is half its size” lacks a clear comparison reference. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly around commas and the unfinished sentence. Use complete sentences, keep comparisons grammatically explicit, and proofread sentence boundaries and punctuation.

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