Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 figures represent the maps of a college cafe before and after a major redesigining project which has changed many parts of the cafe including the seatings, serving areas and outside of the cafe.

The renovation has greated improved its infrastucture by making different sections to get different kinds of food and drinks and greatly improving the the coffee and take away food service.

Before the redesigning, all the food and drinks were served on the serving area infront of the kitchen but now the sections for hot meals, salads, and barbecue has been introduced.By adding the outdoor seating, the cafe has majorly reformed the scene of its seating with the barbecue section being outside.

Recycling bins have been installed instead of the simple bins so that trash can be recycled efficiently. And the two staff dining rooms are replaced by making one a room for take away food and the other one is being as a coffee bar.The toilets place and size are not changed but one entry and one exit gate has been added to the cafe , for people tohave access to the barbecue section and the outdoor sitting. in conclution after the redisigning the cafe has changed greatly but in a more positive way.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully identifies the main changes between the two maps, noting the modifications to the kitchen/serving counters, the replacement of staff dining rooms with a coffee bar and takeaway area, the addition of a salad bar, recycling bins, and outdoor seating with a barbecue. An overview is attempted in the introduction and concluding sentences, capturing the general shift towards a more positive and modernized layout. However, the response tends to list changes sequentially rather than providing fully integrated comparisons across the two time periods, which keeps the task achievement at a Band 6.0. Certain details are slightly generalized, but all key spatial shifts are represented accurately according to the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text is arranged into four paragraphs, moving from an introduction to body paragraphs detailing internal and external changes, and concluding with a summary statement. Logical organization is present, though the progression between ideas can feel a bit disjointed due to sudden shifts in focus between sentences (e.g., jumping from recycling bins to staff rooms and toilets within a single paragraph). Cohesive devices such as 'Before the redesigning', 'now', and 'By adding' are used, but referencing is occasionally mechanical. Paragraphing is utilized, though partitioning the text into logical thematic groups (e.g., interior changes vs. exterior additions) could have improved overall cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a map transformation, using terms such as 'infrastructure', 'reformed', 'recyle efficiently', and 'outdoor seating'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'redesigining', 'greated' instead of greatly, 'infrastucture', 'infront', and 'conclution'. Less common lexical items are attempted ('barbecue', 'recycling bins'), but inaccuracies in spelling and collocation prevent the score from reaching Band 7.0. Nonetheless, communication is not impeded by these lexical slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing prepositional phrases and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'Before the redesigning, all the food and drinks were served... but now the sections for hot meals... have been introduced'). Grammatical control varies, with several errors in article usage, preposition selection, and word form (e.g., 'improving the the coffee', 'The toilets place and size are not changed', 'one entry and one exit gate has been added', 'for people tohave access'). While complex structures are attempted, errors in agreement and punctuation persist, placing the grammar performance firmly at Band 6.0.

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