Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-21
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 of a college cafe before and after its modification.
Overall, The cafe has undergone significant changes in terms of new sections of barbecue and salad bar, with most notable development being the allocation of a new outdoor seating. However, the some rooms are replaced with the two new attractive sections.
In the past, the cafe was accessed via an entrance located in the eastern side of the building. Opposite to the entrance were two staff dining rooms which opens in the centre of the cafe. To the left of the entrance, there was a bin and a row of public toilets. Meanwhile, in the middle of the cafe were tables and chairs and a door on the right wall from entrance was open into a separate zone which consists of kitchen and serving area.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement. While the overview identifies some key changes, the description is incomplete as it only covers the 'before' state and fails to describe the 'after' state in any detail. The task requires a summary of both plans and a comparison between them; by stopping after describing the past layout, you have not addressed the full scope of the prompt. To improve, ensure you allocate enough space to describe the current layout and highlight the differences between the two versions.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into an introduction, an overview, and one body paragraph. However, the progression is interrupted because the description of the 'after' state is missing. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In the past' and 'Meanwhile', which help to link ideas, but the overall structure is incomplete. The paragraphing is logical, but the lack of a concluding section or a full description of the second plan makes the flow feel abrupt and unfinished. Ensure that you balance your description across both time periods to maintain a logical flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have used some appropriate vocabulary for describing maps, such as 'modification', 'allocation', and 'separate zone'. However, there are some awkward collocations and minor errors, such as 'most notable development being the allocation of a new outdoor seating' (should be 'an outdoor seating area'). The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. To improve, focus on using more specific spatial language and synonyms for 'change' or 'replace' to avoid repetition.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'The some rooms are replaced' (incorrect article usage) and 'two staff dining rooms which opens' (subject-verb agreement error). Additionally, 'a door on the right wall from entrance was open into' is somewhat clunky. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the overall fluency. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct article usage will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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