Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03

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 illustrates the changes that took place in the college cafe between the past and the present.

Overall, college cafe has undergone significant changes in its layout and facilities. Several areas existing were replaced and converted, while new area, such as take away food, coffee bar, recycling bins, salad bar, hot meal, barbecue and a outdoor seating were introduced.

In the present, college cafe had a kitchen and serving area in the northeast junction, whereas the toilets were located in the southwest junction of the cafe. Furthermore, the staff dining rooms were situated on the northern side, while the bin was located along the werstern side of the cafe. In the centre, there were tables and chairs at here.

At present, the serving area has been replaced by hot meal, whereas the staff dining rooms have been converted in to take away food and coffee bar. Similarly, the bin has been replaced by recycling bins. In addition, the salad bar has added on the eastern side of the cafe. In conclusion, Barbecue and outdoor seating

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main features of the task, providing an overview of the changes and detailing specific alterations such as the conversion of the staff dining rooms into a take-away food and coffee bar. However, the description contains several noticeable inaccuracies regarding spatial locations. For example, the student states that the kitchen and serving area were in the 'northeast junction' and toilets in the 'southwest junction', which contradicts the visual data showing them in the northwest and southeast respectively. Furthermore, directional mistakes occur when locating the salad bar on the 'eastern side' instead of the western wall. Additionally, the response ends abruptly mid-sentence with 'In conclusion, Barbecue and outdoor seating', leaving the final features incomplete and under-developed. To reach a higher band, all spatial details must be reported accurately and the task must be fully completed without abrupt endings.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay displays some overall organization with an introductory paragraph, a body overview of the past layout, and an attempt at describing the current layout. However, there is no clear overall progression due to spatial confusion and incomplete concluding thoughts. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and sometimes inaccurately, such as 'at here' when describing the location of tables and chairs, or repetitive transitional phrases. Paragraphing is attempted, but the final paragraph breaks off abruptly, preventing a smooth logical flow throughout the response. To improve, the writer should ensure each body paragraph builds logically upon the previous one, use cohesive markers more naturally, and avoid incomplete sentences at the end of the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student attempts an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a map transformation, using appropriate terms such as 'undergone significant changes', 'replaced and converted', and 'introduced'. There are some successful word choices, but also notable vocabulary and collocation errors that detract from precision, such as 'hot meal' instead of hot meals, and 'a outdoor seating' which contains an article error alongside a word choice slip. Spelling is generally acceptable, and minor lexical inaccuracies do not completely impede communication. To achieve a higher score, the writer should use a wider variety of less common lexical items with greater precision and ensure correct word forms and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response employs a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic past or present passive constructions like 'has been replaced' and 'were situated'. Attempts at more complex sentences often contain frequent grammatical errors that cause difficulty for the reader, such as preposition and article mistakes ('on the eastern side', 'at here', 'a outdoor seating'). Subject-verb agreement and prepositional patterns are occasionally flawed, for example, 'several areas existing were replaced' or 'converted in to'. To progress to a higher band, the student needs to demonstrate a greater variety of complex structures with improved accuracy and a lower frequency of basic grammatical slips.

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

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