Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-17

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 diagram illustrates the college cafe before some reworked had been done and after remodling.

Overall, the cafe went through major upgradation, in which there had been created some new areas like outside dining area. Other than that, some old areas are being replaced with new counters for easy access.

Initially, if we look at the old map of the cafe, we can clearly see that at the north west corner we had kitchen and serving area (all food and drink) you can easily access it through a door at the main corridor gate. Moreover, there is a special place for staff and dinning rooms at the center of the cafe at nothern side. Also, there is a place for bin and toilets as the south east corners.

While after upgradation, the outdoor seating area and also a place for Barbecue had been installed out side of the cafe. A salad bar is add the western side inside the cafe. Furtehrmore, the staff dining rooms are changes to take away and coffe bar counters, and also the serving area in the kitchen is changed to hot meals counter.Also,installed two door for the outdoor dining and barbecue on each corner.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main change—the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue—and note several internal changes, including the salad bar and the replacement of staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee counters. The overview also recognises that the café has been substantially upgraded. However, some important details are missing or unclear: the central tables and chairs and the toilets remain, and the bin becomes recycling bins. The description of the original layout is not fully accurate: the staff dining rooms were along the north wall, rather than “at the center,” and the entrance is not a “main corridor gate.” The final claim about doors and the barbecue “on each corner” is also unclear. Covering these comparisons more precisely would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by a paragraph on the original café and one on its current layout. This gives the reader a basic chronological comparison, and transitions such as “Initially” and “While after upgradation” signal the shift between plans. However, the progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several features are joined in long, loosely connected sentences. For example, the final sentence combines the new doors, outdoor dining and barbecue without clearly explaining their positions. Some linking phrases, including “Other than that” and “Moreover,” feel mechanical or do not clarify the relationship between details. Grouping features by location and using clearer references would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “north west corner,” “outdoor seating area,” “salad bar,” and “counters,” so the reader can identify many of the changes. There are also attempts at less common terms, such as “upgradation,” but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this task: “reworked had been done,” “easy access,” and “main corridor gate” do not describe the plans precisely. Spelling errors such as “remodling,” “dinning,” “nothern,” “Furtehrmore,” and “coffe” also reduce accuracy. Aim for standard map-description collocations and check spelling; precise terms such as “redesigned,” “north wall,” and “entrance” would make the account clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including an overview clause beginning “in which” and a contrast introduced by “While.” However, control of sentence structure and verb forms is uneven. For example, “there had been created some new areas” uses an awkward passive construction, while “A salad bar is add” and “the staff dining rooms are changes” have incorrect verb forms. The opening phrase “before some reworked had been done” is also structurally unclear. Articles and punctuation are inconsistent, particularly in the final sentence, where “Also,installed” runs into the next clause. Use straightforward past-tense descriptions of the former plan and present-tense descriptions of the current one, checking each sentence for a complete, correctly formed clause.

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.