Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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)

This illustraion of a cafe college highlights significant differences before and after renovation.

Initially the cafe have the serving area near the kitchen which is still at the same place, but now the name has been change to hot meals.

The staff dining rooms are now replaced with food take away and coffee bar area. Before renovation the cafe didn't have any barbecue and salad bar. After the renovation the cafe includes salad bar in the center hall area along with tables and chairs, outdoor barbecue area followed by outdoor seating which was not included before.

Nevertheless still there are some areas which are in place as they were before like kitchen, center hall for tables and chairs, trash bin followed by toilets.

The mentioned changes and comparisons highlight the expansion of a cafe for its betterment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the replacement of the staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee areas, the addition of a salad bar and outdoor facilities, and the kitchen remaining in place. However, the description is incomplete and some details are inaccurate: the salad bar is on the western wall, not in the centre, and the bin became recycling bins rather than simply remaining a trash bin. The overview that the café was expanded is relevant, but the main changes could be compared more clearly and systematically. The response also contains 137 words, below the required 150, so there is limited space to report the plan’s features fully. Include the new southern doors and the unchanged toilets as well.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: it introduces the comparison, describes changes, and ends with a general summary. Linking expressions such as “Initially,” “After the renovation,” and “Nevertheless” help signal time and contrast. However, progression between details is not always clear. For example, the sentence beginning “Before renovation the cafe didn’t have…” combines the salad bar, barbecue and outdoor seating without clearly locating each feature, while “followed by” does not express their spatial relationship accurately. The final paragraph repeats that some areas remain unchanged rather than adding a clear overview. Organise the report into a paragraph on the original layout and one on the redesigned layout, grouping features by location and using references such as “along the western wall” and “to the south.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a redesign, including “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “salad bar,” and “outdoor seating.” This gives the reader a basic understanding of the plans. However, the range is limited, and some choices are imprecise or informal for a map report: “trash bin” is less suitable than the plan’s “recycling bins,” while “center hall area” does not accurately describe the salad bar’s position. There are also spelling and word-form slips, including “illustraion” and “take away” used as a noun modifier. Aim for precise location language and consistent labels from the plan. Alternatives such as “redesigned,” “situated,” and “was converted into” would help make comparisons more exact and formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “which is still at the same place” and a sentence beginning “Before renovation.” Meaning is generally recoverable, but errors in verb forms, agreement and articles occur repeatedly. For example, “the cafe have” should be “the café had,” and “the name has been change” should be “the name has been changed.” The phrase “the cafe includes salad bar” needs an article, and “there are some areas which are in place as they were before” is awkwardly constructed. Tense control also shifts between past and present when describing the before-and-after plans. Use past tense for the original layout and present tense for the current one, and check subject–verb agreement and articles in each sentence.

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