Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05

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 maps show a college cafe before and after it was redesigned with new places that was introduced.

Overall, cafe before design and today has some unchanged places like Toilets, Bin and also tables and chairs, while some new places also introduced after new design like salad bar, take away food, coffee bar, Barbecue and outdorr seating.

Looking at the details, the kitchen was remaind on the same north-west corner but serving area( all fod and drink) removed and add hot meals there. Following this, Toilets also remiand unchange at south-east corner, while nmae of Bin changed to Recycling bins in new plan. On the other hand, staff dining rooms that were at the center of north completely changed to take away food and coffee bar.

However, Salad bar was the new thing that introduced in new plan at west side of the map. Following this, two more places was new in toady map, Barbecue and outdoorseating that are at south side.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign, while making relevant comparisons between the two plans. You have correctly identified key changes, such as the introduction of the salad bar, take away food, coffee bar, barbecue, and outdoor seating, alongside unchanged features like the toilets and the kitchen's location. The overview successfully captures the general transformations and the stable elements. However, some areas could be extended further; for instance, more specific details about the layout changes or the exact positioning of the new outdoor facilities would elevate the response. The overall selection of information is relevant, and the content fully meets the criteria for a solid score in this area, demonstrating a clear understanding of the visual data provided.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall structure, moving from an introductory paragraph and an overview into detailed body paragraphs about the spatial changes. Paragraphing is used adequately to separate the overview from the specific details. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, relying on repetitive transitional phrases such as 'Following this' to link sentences and ideas. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'the cafe before design and today has some unchanged places', where the sentence structure lacks smooth logical flow. To achieve a higher band, you should employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices and ensure that referencing between ideas is handled more naturally without repetitive connectors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing enough terms to describe the changes, such as 'redesigned', 'unchanged', 'serving area', and 'recycling bins'. However, the lexical range is limited and contains noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and spelling, such as 'outdorr', 'remaind' (instead of remained), 'nmae', and 'toady'. There is also awkward phrasing like 'new places that was introduced' and 'Salad bar was the new thing'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they restrict the score because they show a lack of precision and a limited repertoire of less common vocabulary. Incorporating more precise academic synonyms and checking for basic spelling accuracy would significantly strengthen your lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your writing demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, attempting structures like 'while some new places also introduced after new design like...'. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and verb forms, including subject-verb agreement issues ('two more places was new'), incorrect passive voice constructions ('places that was introduced', 'was remaind'), and missing articles. Punctuation and prepositions also show persistent inaccuracies, such as 'at south-east corner' instead of 'in the south-east corner'. These errors occur throughout the text and require the reader to occasionally puzzle over the meaning. To reach a higher band, you need to produce more error-free sentences, improve your control over verb tenses and passive forms, and ensure accurate use of articles and prepositions.

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

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