Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30

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 two floor plans illustrate the structural modifications made to a cafe layout comparing its original state prior to redesign with its current congfiguration. overall, the cafe has undergone significant developments aimed central serving area located directly in front of the kitchen additionally two staff dining room occupied the northern wall each equipped with circular tables to the right a single waste bin stood near the entrance adjacent to the toilets situated in the bottom right come. in the present loyout the main serving counter has been converted exclusively for hot meals the formar staff dining room have been removed and replaced with two distinct stations ;one for take away food and another functioning as a coffee bar along the left hand wall a new salad bar has been introduced .fuethermore the single bin near the right exit has beenexpanded into a dedicated recycling bin area while the toilets in the bottom right corner remain unchanged. Externally a completely new barbecue zone has been installed outside the bottom-left corner and an outdoor seating area featuring multiple tables now spans the southern e

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making clear comparisons between the two plans. Key changes—such as the conversion of the staff dining rooms into a take away food station and coffee bar, the addition of the salad bar, the barbecue zone, and the outdoor seating—are accurately identified and described. While there are some minor mechanical and transcription slips, the overall information is well-selected and gives a clear picture of the café before and after the redesign, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is somewhat hindered by poor punctuation, missing capitalisation, and run-on sentences, which affect the logical flow. Although paragraphs are attempted, the lack of full stops makes it difficult to follow the progression smoothly at times. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes awkward (e.g., 'additionally', 'fuethermore'). However, a basic chronological and spatial structure is maintained as the writer moves from the interior changes to the exterior additions. This level of organisation corresponds to a Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a map/plan, using terms like 'structural modifications', 'congfiguration', and 'distinct stations'. However, there are numerous spelling and typographical errors (e.g., 'congfiguration', 'loyout', 'formar', 'fuethermore', 'expanded') and incomplete words at the end of the text ('e'). Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success, keeping the lexical score at a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is significantly impaired by punctuation errors, run-on sentences, and missing capitalisation throughout the text. Sentences often run together without proper terminal punctuation. While some complex structures are attempted successfully, frequent mechanical errors and typos reduce the overall clarity and control, placing this performance at a Band 5.0.

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