Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-04
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 map diagram illustrates the appearance of the college cafe before it was remodelled and the final look of the cafe today.
Overall, the plan shows the significant changes over the courses of the two layout. The cafe before remodel had few blocks for customer services whereas after the redevelopment the cafe looks to offer more to their customer.
Before the renovation, the cafe seems to have two portion for staff dining room on the north side. Besides the staff dining rooms, towards the northwest layout of the cafe, the kitchen area along with the serving area were situated. In addition to that, on the west corner of the cafe, there was a section for bin and below that on the southwest position was the toilet. Moreover, The large tables and chair area was noticeable.
After the renovation, cafe has seen to add some of the sections as well as replacing the older one. Apparently, the staff dining rooms have been replaced with take away food and coffee bar corner. The layout of the kitchen was unchanged however the serving area's (all food & drinks) layout has been changed to serving only hot meals. On the north layout of the cafe a small salad bar has been introduced. Furthermore, the additional barbecue portion has been redeveloped on the outer west side of cafe naming it as an "outdoor seating"
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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 plans, identifying key changes such as the replacement of the staff dining rooms and the addition of the outdoor seating area. However, the overview is somewhat weak; it describes the changes in general terms without highlighting the most significant transformations clearly. While the report addresses the task requirements, some descriptions are slightly imprecise, such as the mention of the 'bin' and 'toilet' which could have been more effectively integrated into the spatial description. To reach a higher band, ensure the overview provides a more comprehensive summary of the primary trends observed between the two layouts.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. There is a clear progression of ideas from the 'before' state to the 'after' state. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In addition to that', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two time periods. To improve, try to vary the cohesive devices further and ensure that referencing (e.g., 'the north layout') is consistently clear throughout the text to improve the flow between sentences.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, with terms like 'remodelled', 'redevelopment', and 'renovation' used correctly. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'few blocks for customer services' and 'the cafe has seen to add'. These minor inaccuracies do not impede communication but prevent the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology for spatial descriptions and ensure that verbs are used in the correct voice (e.g., 'the cafe has seen the addition of' rather than 'has seen to add').
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'over the courses of the two layout' (should be 'layouts') and 'cafe has seen to add' (should be 'the cafe has seen the addition of'). Additionally, there are issues with article usage, such as 'on the north layout' instead of 'on the northern side'. While these errors are frequent, they rarely impede the reader's understanding. To achieve a higher score, focus on subject-verb agreement and the consistent use of articles when describing locations on a map.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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