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)

The maps delineate the changes that have been done in a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it look now.

Overall, the cafe shows drastic change in it. There are many new sectors that have been establish in the cafe such as, outdoor seating, salad bar, recycling bins, coffee bar and take away food. In addition to, barbecue sector has been taking place near the outdoor seating.

Before redesign, cafe had limited resources.There were a kitchen and serving area on the north-east side of the cafe. Therefore, tables and chairs were occupied the large portion of cafe. Two staff dining rooms were taken place in the center of the cafe.

At present day, the cafe undergoes signifant changes. The two staff dining rooms have been converted into coffee bar and take away food. However, the seving area has been replaced by hot meals sectore. Moreover, outside the cafe, new seating area and a barbecue has been added , provides students more space to eat and relax.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation and provide a clear overall summary: the café gains several new facilities, including outdoor seating, a salad bar, a coffee bar and takeaway food. You also accurately note that the former staff dining rooms become the coffee bar and takeaway area, and that the serving counter is now for hot meals. This covers the key changes and supports the stronger level of achievement. However, some details are inaccurate or underdeveloped: the kitchen and serving area are described as being on the “north-east” side, whereas the kitchen is in the upper-left and the serving counter lies beside it; the staff rooms were along the north wall, not in the centre. The salad bar and recycling bins are listed but not located or compared. More precise spatial reporting would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by a description of the former layout and then the current café. This gives the reader a basic chronological comparison, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Before redesign,” and “At present day” help signal the sections. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weak: the overview lists several additions, while the later paragraphs do not consistently explain where they are or how they relate to the original plan. Some connectors are awkward or unclear, including “Therefore” between the serving area and seating, and “However” before a change that is not a contrast. Grouping changes by location and using simpler, more accurate links would make the account easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for describing a redesigned space, including “converted,” “replaced,” “outdoor seating,” and “recycling bins.” These choices communicate the main changes, and the response attempts some less common wording. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “drastic change in it,” “sectors … establish,” and “barbecue sector has been taking place.” There are also spelling errors in “signifant,” “seving,” and “sectore,” which reduce precision. Prefer standard map-description phrases such as “the café underwent substantial changes,” “facilities were added,” and “a barbecue area was installed.” More accurate collocations and careful spelling would make the description clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple sentences and more complex forms, including “The two staff dining rooms have been converted into…” and a sentence beginning “Moreover.” The main message is generally understandable, but grammatical control is inconsistent, and several errors affect clarity. Examples include “how it look now” (subject–verb agreement), “There were a kitchen” (article and agreement), and “tables and chairs were occupied the large portion” (incorrect verb pattern and missing preposition). The final sentence, “a barbecue has been added, provides students…,” also joins clauses incorrectly. Practise accurate past and present forms, articles, and sentence boundaries; for example, write “A barbecue area has been added, providing students with more space to eat and relax.”

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