Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-09

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 maps illustrate the changes that have taken place in the college cafe until now.

Overall, the college cafe has become much more developed as bin is replaced by reclying bins and outdoor seating has been established as well, furthermore barbecue, salad bar and hot meals are also now there.

In the west of the cafe salad bar has been established. staff dinning rooms are replaced by take away food and coffee bar.

Next to kitchen serving area is abolished and Hot means is build. Outdoor seating is build south of the college cafe, also next to that barbecue is build.

some places are not changed and they are same as before. Although kitched is remain unchanged , hot means is build next to it. Toils also remained unchanged and are at the same location as before. On the oher hand single bin is replaced by the recycling bings.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes, including the new salad bar, the replacement of the staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee facilities, and the outdoor seating and barbecue. You also note that the kitchen and toilets remain in place, giving the reader a useful sense of what has changed and what has not. However, some key details are unclear or missing: the serving counter is now for hot meals, and the central tables and chairs remain. The overview lists features but does not clearly summarise the main transformation. A few descriptions, such as “hot means is build,” make the intended change difficult to understand. Grouping the changes more clearly and describing the new southern access would make the report more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing changes and unchanged features. This gives the information some organisation. However, progression is uneven, and several points are repeated: the kitchen and hot-meal counter are mentioned twice, as are the toilets and bins. Connections between ideas are sometimes awkward, particularly in “Although kitched is remain unchanged, hot means is build next to it,” where the contrast is unclear. The overview also combines several changes in one long sentence. Organise the body into a clear sequence—for example, changes inside the café followed by additions outside—and use linking words only where they express a clear relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “replaced,” “established,” “remained unchanged,” and “at the same location.” These choices help communicate the main comparisons. However, the range is limited, and spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “reclying,” “dinning,” “Hot means,” “kitched,” and “bings.” Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “much more developed,” which does not specify how the café changed. Use accurate labels from the plan, such as “hot-meal counter,” and vary verbs with precise options such as “added,” “converted,” or “retained.” Careful proofreading of key facility names would make the description easier to follow.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and more complex forms, including “Although…” and “On the other hand…,” and the reader can generally identify the intended comparisons. However, errors occur in verb forms, sentence construction, articles, and punctuation. For example, “Outdoor seating is build” should use a passive form such as “was added,” while “kitched is remain unchanged” needs a different structure, such as “the kitchen remained unchanged.” The opening overview also joins several ideas with “as” and “furthermore” without clear sentence boundaries. Most sentences rely on basic patterns, and the attempted complex sentences are not consistently controlled. Practise accurate past-tense and passive constructions for describing completed redesigns, then check each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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