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 compare the layout of a cafe before and after redevlopment.Overall the cafe underwent substantial devlopment such as serving area in kitchen is replaced by hot meals and staff dining rooms are repalced by coffee bar and take away food corner.The introduction of salad bar in main dining hall on west side is also a noticeble change and also on east side small bin is replaced by large recycling bin.Introduction of Barbecue and five outdoor sitting table out of which three horizontal with six chair each and two vertical with two chair each on south back is one of the noticeble change which cant be overlooked.Two additional doors have been installed on south back side one near barbecue and other one in outdoor sitting near toilet.Introduction of Slad bar and large recycling area creats less space for table and chairswhich creat less space for dining area overall.Despite these modifications, several original features remained unchanged throughout the period

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several major changes, including the replacement of the staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee facilities, the addition of a salad bar, recycling bins, and outdoor seating with a barbecue. You also note that the toilets and central tables-and-chairs area remain. This gives the response relevant coverage of both plans. However, some details are inaccurate: the outdoor area has four tables, not five, and the transcription does not support the specific chair counts you give. The claim that the recycling bin is large and that the changes create less dining space is also not established by the plans. The overview is present, but it would be stronger if it focused on the main spatial changes and clearly distinguished what stayed the same from what was added or replaced.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable overall sequence: it introduces the comparison, summarises changes, and ends by noting that some features remained. Linking phrases such as “Overall,” “Despite these modifications,” and “also” help connect ideas. However, nearly all the information is packed into one long paragraph, so the reader has little help separating the overview from the details. Several ideas are joined repeatedly with “and,” and the final sentence about unchanged features is not supported with examples. Organise the response into a short introduction and overview followed by a paragraph on internal changes and one on the outdoor area. This would create clearer progression and make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “replaced,” “introduction,” “remained unchanged,” and “outdoor seating.” These choices communicate the general nature of the redesign. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “outdoor sitting table,” “south back,” and “noticeble change”; “dining hall” is also not the clearest label for the café’s central area. Spelling errors, including “redevlopment,” “repalced,” and “Slad,” are noticeable and reduce accuracy. Aim for precise plan vocabulary and check spelling carefully. For example, describe the new area as outdoor seating with four tables, and use “along the southern side” rather than “on south back.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of sentence forms, including an overview sentence beginning “Overall” and a contrast introduced by “Despite these modifications.” The main meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors make the description less controlled. For example, “serving area in kitchen is replaced” needs articles and a consistent past-tense form, while “staff dining rooms are repalced” does not maintain the same tense. The long sentence beginning “Introduction of Barbecue” has an unclear structure, and “which cant be overlooked” is attached awkwardly. There are also punctuation problems, especially missing spaces after full stops and commas. Use past simple consistently for the redesign and divide long sentences into shorter, complete statements.

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