Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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 demonstrates the architectureal stucture plan of an collage cafe how it was looking before the construction and replaned of newly cafe with diverse changes in the plan.

Overall, In old structure the cafe was having staff dining rooms for their staff. However, In new architecture it has been replaced with take away food and coffee bar separately. Another key and major change in the cafe is the newly redesigned cafe has new Outside seating and barbecue seating amenities outside of cafe while In previous cafe it was completely blank space. The space is very utilized in newly designed cafe.

However, the kitchen, toilets, bin and tables chairs section remains almost same as the old cafe in current structure. While Serving area inside the kitchen has been changed with the Hot meals department.

Another major change is that on the west side of the cafe the salad bar is built whereas, It was not in previous map.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers the main features of the transformation well, noting key alterations such as the removal of staff dining rooms in favour of a takeaway food counter and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar on the west side, and the inclusion of outdoor seating and a barbecue area. An overview is present, identifying the general shift from staff-exclusive areas to expanded public and outdoor dining options. However, some minor details are slightly imprecise, and the overview could be more fully developed to meet the higher band descriptors. Nevertheless, the response successfully addresses all parts of the visual prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introductory overview and following with body paragraphs detailing specific changes. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'While' are used to structure the comparisons. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or abrupt (e.g., 'While Serving area inside the kitchen has been changed...'). Paragraphing is present and adequate for the task, though internal paragraph cohesion could be smoother. Overall, the arrangement is coherent enough to follow without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for describing changes in a floor plan, utilizing terms such as 'architectureal stucture', 'amenities', and 'replaned'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('architectureal', 'stucture', 'collage' instead of college) and awkward word formations ('replaned', 'newly cafe'). While the student attempts less common vocabulary, inaccuracies in word choice and spelling prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Communication is not impeded, but the range is somewhat limited.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'Another key and major change in the cafe is the newly redesigned cafe has new Outside seating...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as missing prepositions or incorrect verb forms ('how it was looking before the construction and replaned of newly cafe', 'The space is very utilized'). These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar performance firmly in the band 5 range.

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

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