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 given couple of map illustrates the alteration witnessed of college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Overall it can be seen that, except kitchen, toilets and tables and chairs. All the other area are underwant specticular modification. Among incorporation of various new facilities in cafe.

Before, the redesigning cafe the kitchen was situated in northern west position and serving area are located in the lower position. While the tables and chairs area were situated in bottom portion of staff dining rooms in northern side. Toilets are located beside the bin in eastern side.

After, the cafe incorporate various facilities. The kitchen are remainded in their original position. Serving area has converted into hot meals area. While the staff dining rooms has been modified and converted into take away food and coffee bar. Toilets and tables and chairs are remainded in their original position. Whereas bin area ha been extend. Moreover incorporate barbecue and outdoor seating area in college cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main purpose of the plans and give a useful overview that the kitchen, toilets and central seating remain, while other areas change. You also report several accurate comparisons: the serving counter becomes a hot-meals area, the former staff rooms become takeaway and coffee facilities, and outdoor seating with a barbecue is added. However, some important details are omitted or unclear. The western salad bar is not mentioned, and saying the bin area “ha been extend” does not accurately explain that recycling bins replace the single bin. The description of the original layout is also imprecise, particularly the position of the seating and staff rooms. Include these specific changes and describe locations more clearly to make the coverage more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the earlier and current layouts. This gives the reader a basic sense of progression. However, the organisation is weakened by sentence fragments and abrupt links, such as “Among incorporation of various new facilities in cafe” and the repeated use of “While” to begin incomplete clauses. “Before” and “After” help signal the comparison, but the sequence within each paragraph is not consistently clear, and some references such as “their original position” are vague. Use complete sentences, group changes by location or function, and connect related comparisons directly rather than relying on repeated transition words.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “kitchen,” “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “hot meals,” and “outdoor seating,” so the reader can identify several features. There are also attempts at more formal wording, such as “incorporation” and “modification,” but these are often unnatural or incorrectly formed in context. Phrases such as “the alteration witnessed,” “specticular modification,” and “bin area ha been extend” make the description less clear; spelling errors also affect precision. Build a more reliable range of map vocabulary, especially verbs for changes and location phrases, and check word forms and spelling. Prefer straightforward, accurate expressions such as “was converted into” over ambitious but unsuitable phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparisons, and the reader can generally follow the main changes. However, sentence control is inconsistent, with some errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and clause construction. For example, “The kitchen are remainded” should use a singular verb and a correct past participle, while “the staff dining rooms has been modified” has a plural subject with a singular verb. The overview sentence beginning “Overall it can be seen that” is followed by an incomplete construction, and “Before, the redesigning cafe” does not form a correct introductory phrase. Practise complete sentence patterns and maintain consistent past-tense descriptions of the former plan and present-tense descriptions of the current one.

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