Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06

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 displays how a college cafe changes before and after redesign. Overall, the area remains the same, adding few additional changes in the layout of the map. Converting staff dining room into take away and coffee bar, salad bar on the west wall of cafe. On the other hand outdoor seating arrangements were also made with two entrance doors and a barbecue section. Before the cafe had a kitchen with a serving area providing food and drinks, which was later modified to a hot meals section; however there was a section for staff dining rooms and indoor seating. Bins were on the east which were later replaced by recycle bins and toilets remained unchanged which is on the south wall of the cafe. There were few changes like converting staff dining rooms into two parts one into take away food and another into coffee bar. They made a salad bar on the west wall of the cafe.Outdoor seating were provided with two entrance door with a barbecue section on west wall.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by identifying the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign. An overview is attempted in the second sentence, noting that the overall area remains the same while specific layout changes occur. Key alterations such as the conversion of the staff dining room into a takeaway and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar, and the inclusion of outdoor seating with a barbecue are successfully reported. However, some ideas and details are somewhat under-developed or repetitive, such as the redundant restatement of features in the final paragraph. Despite this, the core spatial comparisons and transformations between the two maps are adequately covered.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response shows some organization with a basic attempt at paragraphing, but it lacks a clear overall progression and logical flow throughout. Cohesive devices are sometimes faulty, mechanical, or inadequately used; for instance, the phrase 'On the other hand' is used inappropriately to introduce outdoor seating rather than a contrasting point. Referencing and linking between sentences are occasionally unclear, leading to choppy transitions. Furthermore, the information is somewhat disjointed because points mentioned in the overview are repeated almost verbatim in the final paragraph, disrupting the smooth logical development of the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

An adequate range of vocabulary is used for the task, successfully incorporating specific terms from the visual data such as 'take away', 'coffee bar', 'salad bar', and 'barbecue'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary items, though there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'maps' instead of 'plans', and minor awkward phrasing like 'adding few additional changes'. Spelling is generally accurate, and word-choice errors do not impede communication, allowing the reader to easily understand the intended features and layout changes of the cafe.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

A limited range of sentence structures is utilized, with noticeable reliance on simple forms and occasional faulty attempts at complex clauses. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that can cause some difficulty for the reader, such as missing articles ('the cafe changes before and after redesign', 'converting staff dining room', 'salad bar on the west wall'), preposition errors ('changes on the layout', 'on the east'), and poor punctuation with dangling phrase structures. While the basic message remains understandable, greater control over verb forms, articles, and clause coordination is needed to elevate the grammatical quality.

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