Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-17
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 given map illustrates the comparison between old college café building and the current redesigned building of café.
Overall, the map shows the changes between two buildings. It show how it was before redesign and how it looks now. It describes the new changes happen in the new café. We can see in the redesigned map that there are added outdoor seating and the staff dining rooms changed in Coffee bar and Food counters.
As we can see, the café before redesign consists of a large kitchen and a serving area on the top left corner of the map. There are two square shape staff dining room in the middle along with tables and chairs. Moreover, there are toilets in the bottom right corner.
The café after redesign contains a number of changes in it. The Serving area is convert into Hot meals area now. The staff dinning rooms change into Coffee bar and food corners. Moreover the previous bins are now changed into recycle bins. the two additional stations are opened named as Salad bar and Barbecue station. The extra outdoor seating are also added in new college café. Finally, that is how the new café looks now
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, including the addition of outdoor seating and the conversion of the staff dining area. However, the overview is repetitive and lacks a clear summary of the most significant changes. The description of the 'before' and 'after' states is somewhat mechanical, and some details, such as the specific location of the new stations, could be more precisely described. To improve, focus on grouping information logically rather than listing every minor change, and ensure the overview highlights the most striking transformations, such as the shift from a staff-only focus to a more customer-oriented layout.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and mechanical (e.g., 'Moreover', 'As we can see', 'Finally'). The progression of ideas is clear, but the transitions between sentences could be smoother to create a more natural flow. Referencing is generally clear, though the opening paragraph is redundant, repeating the same information three times in different ways. Improving the variety of linking words and avoiding repetitive introductory phrases would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'Serving area is convert into' (should be 'converted') and 'staff dinning rooms change into'. The use of 'Coffee bar and food corners' is functional but basic. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated collocations and precise terminology related to spatial changes, such as 'transformed', 'replaced', 'reconfigured', or 'relocated', rather than relying on simple verbs like 'change' or 'added'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and subject-verb agreement, such as 'new changes happen' (should be 'have happened'), 'Serving area is convert' (should be 'has been converted'), and 'extra outdoor seating are' (should be 'is'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some missing capital letters and awkward phrasing. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to lower the score. Focusing on consistent tense usage and subject-verb agreement will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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