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 given map depicts the plans of educational instituation cafe former it was reconstructed and how after it looks.

Overall, according to the map, it can be seen that, before the redesigned of the cafe serving area it had contain all type of food and drink, which was changed after the redesigned and now it has only hot meals. There was same things in both maps and it was toilets.

First and formost, In the kitchen area there was only seving area in the first map, after the reconstruction kitchen has additing two different section salad bar and barbecue respectively. At the center, there was two staff dining rooms. In front of it, there was tables and chairs, which was redesigned and convert into two differents rooms such as take away food and coffee bar.

In addition, before the redesigned of the cafe , thaere was no any outdoor sitting facalities. Today, it developed very well and second map contain very outdoor seating facalities. In the bottom of the corner,there was toilets and which is also look like same as well as. In the first map, there was bin at the right side and after the redesigned it has situated same place and changed its name recycling bin.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two plans. You correctly identified key changes such as the replacement of the staff dining rooms with a takeaway food counter and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar, barbecue, and outdoor seating area, and the persistence of the toilets and kitchen. However, some ideas are a bit underdeveloped or imprecise, such as claiming the serving area changed into 'only hot meals' while omitting the takeaway and coffee sections from that part of the description, which holds the response back from a higher band. Overall, you provide a clear overview of the main developments in the layout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement and attempts to structure the information logically, starting with an overview and moving into specific spatial comparisons using cohesive devices such as 'First and formost', 'At the center', and 'In addition'. However, cohesion is at times mechanical and referencing is occasionally unclear or clumsy, such as 'There was same things in both maps and it was toilets.' Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction, overview, and body details, but the logical progression between sentences could be smoother. To reach a higher level, transitions need to feel more natural and relationships between spatial features must be managed with greater precision.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common terms such as 'reconstructed', 'redevelopment', and 'outdoor seating facalities'. However, there are noticeable word-choice errors, awkward collocations, and spelling mistakes throughout the text, including 'instituation', 'former' instead of 'before', 'seving', 'additing', and 'facalities'. While these inaccuracies do not completely impede communication, they restrict the vocabulary score. To improve further, you should focus on accurate word formation, correct spelling, and more precise collocation when describing spatial transformations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb tenses, article usage, prepositions, and sentence construction, such as 'cafe former it was reconstructed', 'before the redesigned of the cafe serving area it had contain', and 'which is also look like same as well as'. These errors require some effort from the reader to interpret, although communication is generally maintained. To achieve a higher score, you need to reduce grammatical mistakes significantly and demonstrate better control over complex clauses, verb agreements, and prepositions.

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

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