Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-09

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 compares the layout of the college cafe before it was redeveloped to how it looks in the present.

Overall, the cafe has undergone a significant transformation, it can be observed that the specific outdoor sitting arrangements has been added at the south side of cafe including 5 tables and 26 chairs. However, the layout have been modified as compared to the past.

In the first plan, the cafe before redesigned and the layout of today. Kitchen,toilets, tables and chair remained in it's original form. However, addition of salad bar, barbecue, outdoor sitting have been redeveloped.

Subsequently, the serving room has been tranformed into an area which provides hot meals. As regards room, where staff used to eat has been converted into an area, where people can take away their food and coffee bar. Moreover, the bins has been modified into the recycling bins. Rest areas such as kitchen, tables and chair remain unchanged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main change—the addition of outdoor seating—and describe several conversions, including the serving area becoming a hot-meal counter and staff dining rooms becoming takeaway and coffee facilities. These are relevant comparisons, and the overview signals that the café has changed substantially. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the plan shows four outdoor tables, not five, and it does not specify 26 chairs. The statement that the kitchen, toilets and seating remain in their “original form” is also too broad; the central seating and toilets remain, but the new southern access and outdoor area are important changes. Include the recycling bins and salad bar more precisely, and distinguish what stayed from what was added or replaced.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has separate paragraphs and a generally sensible movement from an overview to details about the original and current facilities. However, progression is not consistently clear: the third paragraph begins, “In the first plan,” but then combines features from both plans without explaining the comparison. The final paragraph repeats that the kitchen and seating remain unchanged, which has already been stated, while the outdoor changes are not developed further. Linking expressions such as “However” and “Moreover” are used, but some do not show a clear contrast or addition. Organise the details by location or by unchanged and changed features, and use references such as “the former staff rooms” to make relationships between plans clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of task-related vocabulary, including “redeveloped,” “converted,” “serving room,” and “recycling bins,” so the main changes can generally be understood. There are also attempts to describe functions, such as an area “which provides hot meals.” Some word choices and collocations are imprecise or repetitive: “outdoor sitting arrangements” and “outdoor sitting” are less natural than “outdoor seating,” while “Rest areas” does not accurately describe the kitchen and central tables. Spelling errors such as “tranformed” and “it's” (where the possessive “its” is intended) reduce accuracy. Use precise plan vocabulary consistently, and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “an area which provides hot meals” and a comparison introduced by “as compared to the past.” However, errors in agreement, articles, tense and sentence construction are noticeable and sometimes make relationships unclear. For example, “the layout have been modified” should use a singular verb, and “the bins has been modified” should use a plural verb. The opening overview joins two independent clauses with a comma, and “the specific outdoor sitting arrangements has been added” has agreement and article problems. There is also inconsistent tense in “before redesigned.” Practise checking subject–verb agreement and building complete, clearly punctuated comparison sentences.

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