Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 comparisons a university cafe before it was reconstracted and how it looks after redisigned.

Overall, it can be noticed, before cafe reconstacted, there were common infrastructure whereas, in the current time, it is modern desing in the college cafe.

To begin with, before college cafe replanted, it was common structure to the cafe, in the North-West side, which were kitchen and serving area (all food & drink) located. Moreover, in the North side, there were two rooms, which were staff dining room. the toilets located in the South-West side and also in the East side, bin area. Though the holl area was huge, there were tables and chairs took in the holl.

On the other hand, there are some areas locating as it is compared to the past such as, kitchen, toilets, hall area and enterence gate. However, there are many areas are updating like the hot meals area located in the North-West side, the staff dining rooms replaced to take away food and coffee bar. In addition, the bin is changed and update the recycling bins. Furthermore, the salad bar, barbecue and outdoor seating areas constract in the present plant.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main change from staff dining rooms to takeaway and coffee facilities, and note several features that remain, including the kitchen, toilets and central seating. The overview also recognises that the café has been modernised, while the final sentence mentions the new salad bar, barbecue and outdoor seating. These points show good coverage of the plans. However, some details are inaccurate: the toilets are in the south-east, not the south-west, and the entrance is not described as unchanged; the new southern doors lead to the outdoor seating. The comparison would be more complete if you explained the new outdoor arrangement and the changes to the serving counter more precisely. The response covers the task well overall, but some features are less fully and accurately reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by a description of the former layout and then the current one. This gives the reader a basic sense of progression, and phrases such as “To begin with” and “On the other hand” help signal the shift between plans. However, the contrast marker “On the other hand” is not quite suitable for introducing the present layout, and several sentences group many details together without clear relationships. For example, the sentence beginning “Moreover, in the North side” moves from staff rooms to toilets and bins in a confusing sequence. Use clearer grouping by location or by unchanged and new features, and make references such as “it” and “the hall area” more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing plans, including “located,” “replaced,” “recycling bins,” and “outdoor seating.” These terms help communicate the main changes. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, sometimes making the description harder to understand. “Replanted” does not fit a café redesign, while “common infrastructure” and “common structure” are vague. There are also repeated spelling errors, including “reconstacted,” “redisigned,” “enterence,” and “constract.” Aim for precise map vocabulary such as “situated,” “converted into,” and “added,” and check spelling carefully. More accurate collocations would make the comparisons clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “whereas,” “which,” and “though.” This shows an effort to vary sentence structure. However, errors in sentence formation and verb patterns are frequent enough to affect clarity. For example, “The map comparisons a university cafe” is missing a suitable verb, and “there were tables and chairs took in the holl” combines incompatible structures. In “there are many areas are updating,” the verb construction is also faulty. Articles, agreement and tense need more consistent control, as in “the toilets located” and “the staff dining rooms replaced.” Practise writing clear past-tense descriptions of the former plan and present-tense descriptions of the current one, checking that each clause has a complete verb.

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