Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-16

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 maps illustrate the transformations in the layout of a college cafe over the period.

Overall, the cafe underwent significant development. The southern side of the cafe experienced major changes, a barbecue area and outdoor seating were constructed. While the staff dining rooms were converted into take away food and coffee bar.

Starting with kitchen which was located in the north-western side of the cafe, whereas the serving area and entrance from the dining area was in front of the kitchen. Furthermore, two entrances to the dining area were located in the east side of the cafe close to the bin and toilets. In addition, staff dining rooms were in front of the main entrance to the dining area and besides the kitchen building.

Both kitchen and entrance to it remained unchanged, while the serving area was replaced with hot meals. Similarly, staff dining rooms were converted into a take-away food and coffee bar. Although, tables and chairs area experienced minimal changes, a new salad bar and two new entrance gates were constructed on the western and southern side of the cafe respectively. New facilities such as barbecue area and outdoor seating were constructed on the western side of the cafe for public.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign well. You successfully identified the key changes, such as the conversion of the staff dining rooms and the addition of the barbecue area. However, the description of the 'before' state is slightly confusing in its spatial references, and some details are contradictory (e.g., mentioning the kitchen remained unchanged while also noting the serving area was replaced). To improve, ensure your comparisons between the two maps are more precise and clearly distinguish between what was removed and what was added. Overall, the main trends are highlighted, but the clarity of the spatial description could be enhanced to better guide the reader through the changes.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, moving from an overview to specific details. You use some cohesive devices like 'Starting with', 'Furthermore', and 'In addition' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'Although, tables and chairs area experienced minimal changes'. The use of 'Although' here is grammatically incorrect as it does not introduce a subordinate clause. Additionally, some transitions between sentences feel slightly mechanical. Improving the variety of your linking words and ensuring they are used in the correct grammatical context would help the progression of your ideas feel more natural and fluid.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'transformations', 'converted', and 'redesigned'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'take away food' (should be 'take-away' or 'takeaway') and 'for public' (should be 'for the public'). You also repeat 'cafe' and 'constructed' frequently, which limits the sophistication of your writing. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'built' (e.g., 'installed', 'erected', 'introduced') and ensure your collocations are accurate. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. For instance, 'a barbecue area and outdoor seating were constructed' is a comma splice when joined to the previous clause. You also have issues with articles, such as 'Starting with kitchen' (should be 'the kitchen') and 'in the east side' (should be 'on the east side'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the information, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall control of grammar. Focusing on article usage and sentence boundary punctuation will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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