Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-08

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 illustrates the before and after of a renovated cafe.

The renovation included setting up of a new outdoor seating area with new entrances from outside. Some completely new sections like salad bar and barbeque are created, which were not there previously. Some old sections are replaced with new ones.

There is a whole set of newly created sections. The Outdoor seating is one of them, comprising of 5 tables of 4 or 6 seats each, alongwith the entrance doors for accessibility, at each side of south wall. Barbecue, which is a newly created section, is also outside, infront of outdoor seating. A new salad bar area is added in left side of Tablea and chairs hall inside.

There are some sections which are replaced by new ones, including Hot meals section in Kitchen. It was serving area before that, offering all food & drinks. Both of staff dining rooms are converted, one to take away food section, and other to a coffee bar. Although Toilet section is unchanged, bin infront of it is replaced with multiple Recycling bins.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the cafe renovation well. You successfully identified the key changes, such as the addition of the outdoor seating, the salad bar, and the conversion of the staff dining rooms. However, the report lacks a clear overview or summary paragraph that highlights the most significant changes at a glance, which is a requirement for a high band score in Task 1. While you mention specific details, the overall structure could be improved by grouping the information more logically—perhaps by separating 'additions' from 'modifications' more clearly. The description of the 'Tablea' (likely a typo for tables) and the layout could be more precise to help the reader visualize the transformation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. You use some cohesive devices, but they are occasionally used awkwardly, such as 'There is a whole set of newly created sections.' The transition between the description of the outdoor area and the internal changes is abrupt. To improve, try using more sophisticated linking phrases to connect the 'before' and 'after' states, such as 'In contrast to the previous layout' or 'Furthermore, the internal space underwent significant modifications.' The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be smoother.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the changes, using terms like 'renovated,' 'accessibility,' and 'converted.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'setting up of a new outdoor seating area' is slightly unnatural; 'the installation of' or 'the creation of' would be better. You also use 'infront of' (which should be two words: 'in front of') and 'alongwith' (which should be 'along with'). The use of 'Tablea' appears to be a spelling error. To reach a higher band, aim for more precise terminology regarding spatial layout and architectural features.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For instance, 'Some completely new sections like salad bar and barbeque are created' should be '...like a salad bar and a barbecue were created' (past tense is required for the renovation process). There are also issues with articles ('the salad bar') and prepositions ('in left side' should be 'on the left side'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage when describing past changes.

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

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