Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14
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 diagram demonstrates two plans that are before and after designs of a college cafe .
Overall, in this map we can see major modernization and expansions during redesign the cafe. we can see the six major changes in the map after relocate the map.
Firstly, there was no outdoor seating before the map redesigning while we see the outdoor seating that added to the map after design. Staff dinning rooms replaced with the take away food and coffee bar that were for public. Look at west side the toilets and recycling bin remains on the same place.
Secondly, serving area all food and drinks changed with hot meal section. The salad bar section added in map after redesgin the cafe that are west side of the map. Althogh, look at the central hall where the tables and chairs are in the mid of the map that are also on same place. After redesigning the cafe the barbecue portion attached at the north-west side but kitchen also at the same place.
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 two maps, highlighting key changes such as the addition of outdoor seating, the replacement of the staff dining room with a takeaway bar, and the introduction of a hot meal section and salad bar. The writer also correctly identifies features that remained unchanged, such as the toilets, recycling bins, central tables, and kitchen. However, the overview is somewhat repetitive and vague, stating that we can see major modernization and six major changes without fully summarizing the overarching spatial transformation. While all parts of the prompt are addressed, the selection and reporting of data lack complete precision and deeper comparative development, placing the response firmly at Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement and attempts to organize information using linking words such as 'Overall', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Althogh'. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped and mechanical, and cohesive devices are frequently misused or clumsy, such as 'before the map redesigning while we see the outdoor seating that added to the map after design'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen in expressions like 'Look at west side' and 'added in map after redesgin'. Logical progression is sometimes disrupted by awkward phrasing and abrupt shifts between spatial locations. These limitations in cohesive management and paragraph structure reflect the characteristics of Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to describe basic physical changes in the college cafe, such as 'outdoor seating', 'take away food and coffee bar', 'salad bar section', and 'barbecue portion'. However, there is a lack of precision and frequent lexical inaccuracies or awkward collocations, such as 'redesigned the cafe' used as a noun phrase ('during redesign the cafe'), 'relocate the map', and spelling errors like 'Althogh' and 'redesgin'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary related to map description, but word choice errors and repetition prevent the response from reaching Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is weak. There are frequent structural errors and missing prepositions or articles, such as 'two plans that are before and after designs', 'Staff dinning rooms replaced with the take away food', and 'kitchen also at the same place'. Punctuation and sentence boundaries are sometimes handled poorly, with run-on ideas and awkward relative clauses. Although meaning is generally communicated despite these errors, the high frequency of grammatical slips and lack of error-free complex sentences prevent the writing from achieving a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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