Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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 compare the cafe of a college after it was newly developed in to a modern design vs how it looked before the current look.

Overall, the cafe is now following a modern day restaurant style, where newly partitions are made for different food bars with more entry points. Different bars are added with the new take away options available as well. Seating increased with the newly added tables and chairs. More counters to get different type of food are added.

The old cafe has single entry point in east, while now there are two more gates developed into current cafe's south for better entrance and exit. Serving area (all food & drink) under kitchen have replaced with hot meals section only and a new seprate salad bar in the west side is build infront of it.

Two staff dining rooms now giving modern options one to take away the food and other with a coffee bar is for students. Old cafe has only one bin now having more recyclings bins. A live barbecue point for grilled food availabity is now developed in south-west. South side gates having more tables and chairs to make outdoor seating for the visitors.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation: the former serving counter becomes a hot-meals section, staff dining rooms are repurposed as takeaway and coffee areas, and outdoor seating with a barbecue is added. The overview also recognises the broader move towards more food options and access. These points show good coverage of the plans, but some details are inaccurate or unclear. The old plan has an entrance on the eastern wall, while the new doors are added to the south; describing these as “two more gates” may imply the original entrance disappeared, which the plan does not show. Seating is not clearly shown to have increased indoors; the new tables are outside. More precise comparisons and a clearer account of what remains unchanged, such as the kitchen and toilets, would strengthen the report further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. This helps the reader follow the main areas of the redesign. However, progression within the body paragraphs is sometimes difficult to track because several changes are compressed into long sentences, and links between ideas are occasionally unclear. For example, “Serving area … under kitchen have replaced with hot meals section only and a new separate salad bar…” combines multiple locations and changes without clearly distinguishing them. The repeated use of “now” and “old cafe” also makes the comparisons feel mechanical. Grouping changes by location—interior counters, facilities, then outdoor space—and using clearer references would make the organisation more consistent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “serving area,” “hot meals section,” “salad bar,” “recycling bins,” and “outdoor seating,” so the reader can identify most features. There is also some attempt at more specific language, such as “partitions” and “entry points.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “newly developed in to a modern design,” “more gates developed,” and “live barbecue point.” Spelling errors such as “seprate,” “recyclings,” and “availabity” are noticeable and reduce precision. Aim for straightforward, accurate map vocabulary rather than informal or invented expressions; for example, describe facilities as being “added,” “replaced,” or “converted,” and use “entrances” for doors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple statements and longer sentences, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, control of sentence structure and verb forms is inconsistent, which makes some descriptions difficult to read. Examples include “Serving area … have replaced with hot meals section,” where the passive form is missing, and “Two staff dining rooms now giving modern options,” which lacks a finite verb. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and sentence construction in phrases such as “the cafe has single entry point” and “South side gates having more tables.” Use complete clauses and check subject–verb agreement and passive forms when describing changes. Shorter, carefully controlled sentences would improve accuracy while still allowing some complex comparisons.

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