Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-08

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The two map shows how the cafe design change and shows the main features in each map.

Overall, the cafe design become more developed today. The staff dining rooms were replaced by take away food and a coffee bar, and free area was replaced by salad bar and barbecue, while the centre of the map is almost same.

Looking at the details, The cafe before design is quite simple including areas Kitchen, Serving area(all food & drink). Moreover, include staff dining rooms, tables and chairs at the centre of the map. The bin and the toilets are at the corners of the map.

By contrast, The redesign cafe is looking so good. There are some areas which is differ from the before cafe design like addition of outdoor seating area and barbecue section. Also, salad bar and hot meals section plays a crucial role. In the end, the redesign cafe looks more attractive and also it increase the output of the cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main transformation: the staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee areas, and you mention the new outdoor seating, barbecue and salad bar. The overview also notes that the central seating area remains largely unchanged, which is a relevant comparison. However, several important details are only listed generally: for example, the kitchen remains in the same place, the serving counter becomes a hot-meals counter, and the bin is replaced by recycling bins. The claim that a “free area was replaced by salad bar and barbecue” is unclear and does not accurately describe the layout; the barbecue is outside, while the salad bar is inside. Avoid unsupported judgements such as the café looking “so good” or increasing its output, and report the visible changes more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to details about the former and redesigned café. “Overall” and “By contrast” help signal the purpose of these sections, and the reader can follow the broad comparison. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is limited: features are mostly presented as a list, with little organisation by location or by what stayed the same versus changed. Some linking is mechanical, particularly “Moreover” and “In the end,” and the reference to a “free area” is unclear. Grouping the changes by the north, west, and south sides, then noting unchanged features, would make the comparison more cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “staff dining rooms,” “take away food,” “coffee bar,” “salad bar,” and “outdoor seating area,” so the main features are generally identifiable. There is also some attempt to vary wording with “replaced,” “addition,” and “crucial role.” However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing plans. “Free area” does not clearly identify a feature, “the redesign cafe is looking so good” is subjective rather than descriptive, and “increase the output” is unsupported by the maps. Prefer precise spatial and change-related language, such as “was converted into,” “was added along the western wall,” and “remained unchanged.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, including a contrast introduced by “while,” but control is inconsistent. Errors appear in basic sentence patterns: “The two map shows” has a plural subject with a singular verb, and “the cafe design become” needs an appropriate past-tense form. There are also problems with articles and sentence construction in “including areas Kitchen” and “Moreover, include staff dining rooms,” where the latter is a fragment without a clear subject. The sentence beginning “There are some areas which is differ” combines an incorrect agreement pattern with an incomplete verb form. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and complete clauses before adding more complex structures.

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