Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-08

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 plans below demonstrate the reconstructed college cafe before and after the new look.

Overall, there are significant changes in today's cafe, including a hot meals area, takeaway food and coffee bars, as well as introduction of a few new corners like a salad bar, barbecue and outdoor seating.

The previous cafe contained a kitchen and serving area for all food and drink that has been converted into a hot meal area. The place where the staff dining rooms were previous there are not been replaced by a takeaway food and coffee bar. Moreover, the traditional bins have been replaced by recycling bins.

The corner for the salad bar has been introduced. At the corner of the cafe barbeque station were introduces and infront of it outdoor seating is placed, meanwhile tiolets and tables and chairs are the same in both previous and in today's cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main redesign features, including the hot-meals counter, takeaway food and coffee bar, salad bar, recycling bins, and new outdoor seating with a barbecue. You also note that the toilets and central tables remain. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the kitchen itself remains, while the serving counter changes to hot meals, and the barbecue is outside to the south-west rather than simply “at the corner.” The overview is relevant but could more clearly summarise the major spatial changes, such as the former staff rooms being repurposed and the new southern access. The response is 146 words, below the required 150, and several features are only briefly reported. Add precise locations and clarify what stayed unchanged.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing changes and retained features. This gives the reader a general sense of the comparison. However, progression is uneven, and the final paragraph reads like a list of separate observations rather than a clearly organised account. Linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “meanwhile” are attempted, but “meanwhile” does not clearly connect the unchanged toilets and seating to the preceding outdoor changes. Some references are also difficult to follow, particularly “The place where the staff dining rooms were previous there are not been replaced.” Group the changes by area—for example, the north and west interior, then the southern exterior—and use clear references to the before and current plans.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “recycling bins,” “outdoor seating,” “serving area,” and “staff dining rooms,” so the main features are generally recognisable. There is some variety in describing change, with “converted,” “replaced,” and “introduced.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “new look,” “hot meal area,” and “traditional bins”; these reduce precision in a map description. Spelling and word-form errors, including “barbeque,” “infront,” and “tiolets,” are noticeable. Aim for standard labels and precise location language, such as “counter,” “barbecue area,” and “along the western wall.” This would make the description clearer and more appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including “Overall, there are significant changes…” and a comparison using “meanwhile.” However, errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships between features difficult to understand. For example, “The place where the staff dining rooms were previous there are not been replaced” has faulty clause structure and verb forms; “were previous” should express a past location, while “there are not been replaced” does not form a correct passive. In “the kitchen and serving area … that has been converted,” the relative clause and singular verb also create an unclear reference, since the kitchen remains and only the counter changes. Practise accurate past-to-present comparisons and passive forms, and use shorter, controlled sentences when describing locations.

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