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 two maps Illustrate how the College cafe looked before it was redesigned and how it looks at present. Overall, the cafe undergone with significant redevelopment, along with many main features was removed and replaced.

it is clear that, the most noticeable change was seen at northwest side where salad bar space added for the students, However in the bottom west side Barbecue area and outdoor seating area setup for the public while central tables and chair area remain unchanged.

Before modification the serving area for food and drink was near kitchen area has now been transform into hot meals area . whereas previously staffs dinning room replaced by Take away food counter and Coffee bar area. The left side of bin section size increased with many recycling bins. while toilets area remain unchanged. Other features remain same in the College Cafe other than these changes.

The purpose of remodification is to increaed the bandwith of college students to the cafe and facilitate them with more features.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two plans. You successfully identified key alterations, such as the addition of the salad bar, the transformation of the serving area into a hot meals section, and the inclusion of outdoor seating and a barbecue area. However, some areas are under-developed or lack precise detail, such as the vague mention that 'many main features was removed' without clearly specifying all aspects of the changes along the north wall. Your overview captures the general transformation, though the final sentence about the purpose of the remodification drifts into speculation rather than reporting the visual data. Overall, the content is relevant and covers the core requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the information logically, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing specific spatial changes. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical due to awkward transitions and punctuation errors, such as starting sentences with lowercase letters ('it is clear that') and running clauses together without proper linking. Paragraphing is present, but the logical progression between sentences occasionally stumbles, making the flow somewhat disjointed. Referencing is generally understandable, but clearer cohesive devices and better punctuation control are needed to guide the reader more smoothly through the comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'redevelopment', 'transform', and 'recycling bins'. However, there are noticeable word choice and morphological errors that affect precision, such as writing 'the cafe undergone with significant redevelopment' instead of 'undergone significant redevelopment', 'salad bar space added' instead of 'a salad bar was added', and 'staffs dinning room' instead of 'staff dining rooms'. Spelling is mostly accurate, and your lexical choices do not impede overall communication, but more precise phrasing and correct word forms are required to lift your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt at varied structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the response, particularly concerning verb forms, passive voice construction, and missing articles. Examples include 'many main features was removed' (subject-verb agreement), 'The left side of bin section size increased' (awkward prepositional and possessive structure), and starting a sentence with a lowercase 'it'. While these errors do not completely obscure your meaning, they occur regularly and restrict the fluency and accuracy of the writing, keeping the control of grammar at this specific level.

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