Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-10
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 a college cafe before renovate and how it looks in present.
To beign with, college cafe before renovated designed like main entrance is in East side in map and after entrance room have a big hall . While, left-hand side of entrance their dustbin and toilets area in corner of the hall. Meanwhile, the staff dining rooms was middle in the room and Tables and chairs in all other part of hall. Afterthat,under the hall lats room was kitchen area and it have a long space for serving area for all food and drink.
In present days, cafe look as modern style and full of facilities. Recycling bins replaces as a recycling bins for recycle west. While toilets as it is there place. Meanwhile, two staff dining rooms replace by take away food and coffee bar room. In addition, salad bar include West area. Serving area replace by hot meals serve. Furthermore, barbecue and outdoor seating area include in outside of cafe side in hall.
overall, before renovation cafe was limited area. While, in a present day cafe include more service place and facilities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, including the addition of new facilities and the relocation of existing ones. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview. While the key changes—such as the conversion of staff rooms into a coffee bar and the addition of outdoor seating—are mentioned, the report would benefit from a more cohesive summary of the overall transformation. Some details, such as the specific locations, are described in a way that is slightly difficult to follow, which limits the clarity of the comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression from the original layout to the current one. However, the use of cohesive devices is often repetitive (e.g., 'Meanwhile' and 'While' are used frequently and sometimes incorrectly). The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'under the hall lats room', which makes the spatial relationships difficult to visualize. The flow between sentences is somewhat disjointed, and the transition between the introduction, body paragraphs, and the conclusion could be smoother to improve the overall logical progression of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word-choice errors, such as 'before renovate' (should be 'before renovation'), 'recycle west' (likely a misspelling of 'waste'), and 'serving area replace by hot meals serve'. These errors occasionally impede the reader's understanding. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise terminology related to maps and diagrams, such as 'situated in the corner', 'adjacent to', or 'transformed into', rather than relying on basic verbs like 'look' or 'replace'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures, and there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include incorrect verb tenses ('cafe before renovated designed'), missing articles ('in East side'), and subject-verb agreement errors ('two staff dining rooms replace by'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some sentences lacking proper structure. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the text from achieving a higher score. Focusing on consistent tense usage and correct sentence construction will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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