Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-11

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 illustrates information of how a college cafe's look has been changed, before and after its redesignation.

Overall, a complete new addition to the area is the outdoor seating, followed by a barbecue corner sitting on the south-east part of the map and a "salad bar.

The already existing areas with almost no change are, the Kitchen with serving area being converted to "Hot meals" now.

Followed by Bins being replaced to "Recycling bins" and toilet portion with no noticeable change.The entry and the exit doors stands the same, with only a new addition of doors connecting the indoor seating area to the outdoor's, one door installed close to the barbecue in the west. Whereas, the other placed near to the toilet in the east.

"Take away food" and "coffee bar" are installed in the place of "staff dining rooms", cafe today also has a new installment of "salad bar" , placed in the west side of the indoor seating, making the redesigned cafe look more pleasing while also helping the customers to have access to almost everything in a close distance.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes, including the new outdoor seating and barbecue, the conversion of the staff dining rooms into takeaway and coffee areas, and the replacement of the serving counter with a hot-meals counter. You also note that the kitchen and toilets remain. However, the overview is not fully accurate: the barbecue is to the south-west, not the south-east, and the outdoor seating is a major addition rather than the barbecue being the main feature. Some details are unclear or unsupported, such as saying the entrance and exit doors “stand the same” without describing their position. The response addresses the main task, but a clearer overview and more precise reporting of the layout would make the comparison more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and further details about the redesigned areas. This helps the reader follow the comparison. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and several ideas are joined in long or awkward sequences. For example, “Followed by Bins being replaced…” is a fragment, while the sentence beginning “The entry and the exit doors…” combines several changes without clear separation. Linking phrases such as “followed by” and “whereas” are not always used to show the relationship between ideas accurately. Organise the details into clearer groups—retained features, changed indoor facilities, and new outdoor facilities—and use complete sentences with more precise links.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “converted,” “replaced,” “installed,” and “connecting,” and you attempt to describe locations with “west side” and “close to the toilet.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “redesignation” for a physical redesign, “a complete new addition,” and “barbecue corner sitting.” “Toilet portion” and “new installment” are also imprecise in this context. These choices sometimes make the description less clear, even though the general meaning can usually be understood. Aim for straightforward, accurate terms such as “redesigned,” “new feature,” “barbecue area,” and “toilets,” and use consistent directional language when describing positions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex structures, including the contrast in “Whereas, the other placed near to the toilet in the east.” However, some sentences contain errors that make the relationships between features difficult to follow. For example, “The maps illustrates” has subject–verb disagreement, and “The entry and the exit doors stands” has the same problem. Several fragments appear, including “Followed by Bins being replaced…” and “Whereas, the other placed…”. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly around quotation marks and sentence boundaries. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and punctuation when combining comparisons.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.