Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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 illustrate a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks after the redesign.

In the north region we can observe that the kitchen was retained and the serving area was converted into a hot meals area after the rework.

In the center, staff dining rooms were transformed into take away food area and a coffee bar.

At the left side of the layout, recycling bins were added and just at the opposite side to these recycling bins a salad bar was introduced in the new design.

Table and chairs were kept intact and so were the toilets.

A section was introduced outside, in the southern section of the layout that contained a barbeque section with a large outdoor sitting area, two doors were added for ease of access to the outdoor section with one being on the right side of the area closer to the toilets and another one being on the left side closer to the barbeque and salad bar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the kitchen remaining, the serving counter becoming a hot-meals area, the staff rooms being replaced by takeaway and coffee facilities, and the addition of outdoor seating. However, some key details are missing or unclear: the salad bar is on the western wall, while the recycling bins replace the bin on the eastern wall, not the other way around as your description suggests. The overview is also limited because it does not clearly summarise the redesign’s main effect, such as the new food facilities and expanded seating outside. The final sentence gives useful access details, but the barbecue and outdoor seating are described imprecisely. More accurate comparisons and a clearer overview would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a broadly sensible order, moving from the northern area to the centre, the sides, and then the outdoor space. This gives the reader some help in following the plan. However, it is presented as one paragraph, and the repeated location-led openings—“In the north region,” “In the center,” and “At the left side”—make the progression feel like a list rather than a developed summary. Some references are also difficult to follow: “the opposite side to these recycling bins” is confusing because the locations of the bins and salad bar are reversed. Organise the response into an introduction, a concise overview, and detail paragraphs, using clear contrasts such as “whereas” and “in addition” selectively.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for describing changes, including “retained,” “converted,” “transformed,” and “introduced.” These choices help communicate the redesign, and the meaning is generally clear. Some expressions are imprecise or unnatural for a plan description, however: “north region,” “after the rework,” “sitting area,” and “for ease of access” could be replaced with more conventional map-report language. “Table and chairs” also does not accurately reproduce the label “Tables and chairs.” There is some repetition of “area” and “section,” which limits precision. Aim for concise location and change vocabulary, such as “in the northern part,” “was replaced by,” and “outdoor seating area,” while checking that each term matches the plan.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple statements and longer structures, including the relative clause “that contained a barbeque section” and the coordinated clause about the kitchen and serving area. Most of the information remains understandable, and errors do not generally obstruct meaning. Some grammatical choices are less controlled: “staff dining rooms were transformed into take away food area and a coffee bar” needs an article or plural form before “area,” and “Table and chairs were kept intact” has a number mismatch between the singular noun and plural verb. The final sentence is long and would be clearer if divided into two sentences, with the added doors described separately. Continue using varied structures, but check articles, singular/plural agreement, and sentence boundaries.

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