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 two maps illustrate the changes that took place in college cafe before and after resdesigned.

Overall, it is clear that the area underwent significant changes during the period, with adding outdoor seatings and barbecue area . However, tables and chair area remained unchanged.

In Past, staff dining rooms was located in the north side of the hall, while toilets stood at the suth east side. After redesign, [staff dinning rooms had been replaced by take away food and coffe bar, and toilet located had been unchanged. In addition, Salad bar was constructed in the west side of the cafe hall.

Turning to the eastern part of the area, bin area was located in the past . However, after chnages, it had been converted into large recycling bin area. Meanwhile, serving area ( all food & drink ) converted into hot meals. Kichen, tables and chair area remained in its original position.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the redesign, such as the addition of the salad bar and the conversion of the bin area. However, the report lacks precision in describing the spatial relationships. For instance, stating the staff dining room was 'in the north side' is vague, and the description of the serving area is slightly confusing. While the overview identifies the main changes, the report would benefit from a more structured comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states. Some details, like the specific location of the coffee bar, are slightly underdeveloped, preventing a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of the description. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Turning to', and 'Meanwhile'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'toilet located had been unchanged', where the phrasing is grammatically disjointed. Paragraphing is present, but the flow between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother to improve the overall coherence of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, with terms like 'underwent significant changes', 'constructed', and 'converted' being used appropriately. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'resdesigned', 'coffe', 'dinning', 'chnages', and 'Kichen'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary, the lack of precision and the recurring spelling mistakes limit the score. More variety in describing spatial changes would also help elevate the lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include 'In Past, staff dining rooms was located' (article and subject-verb agreement errors) and 'toilet located had been unchanged' (incorrect word form). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before periods and commas. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of minor grammatical slips and awkward phrasing prevents the response from reaching a higher band. More attention to articles and verb tenses is required.

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