Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-22

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 map illustrates two images, of a college cafe. One is earlier redesign and another is after redesigned.

Overall, it's noticeable that the cafe had many changes as compared to before redesigning.

To commence with, the serving area of foods and drinks got changed to hot meals. The staff dinning room transformed into take away food chamber and coffee bar.The bin converted to recycle bin, which is a good concept to reuse things.

Secondly, many new things has been introduced. Like a bar of salad in the west and a barbecue beside the salad bar. Five dinning tables has been arranged outside as outdoor seating, Three large dinning and two small dinnings . One new door got introduced near the outdoor seating.

Furthermore, few things remained as usual. The tables and chairs in the middle of the cafe is still there. The kitchen also is in the same place as earlier. However,the toilet is also in the same area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes, including the conversion of the serving counter to hot meals, the replacement of the staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee areas, and the addition of outdoor seating. You also note that the kitchen, central tables and chairs, and toilets remain in place, giving the response a relevant overview. However, some details are inaccurate: the plan shows four outdoor tables, not five, and the barbecue is beside the outdoor seating, not the salad bar. The new southern access consists of two doors, rather than one. The overview that “many changes” occurred is quite general; specify the main pattern more clearly, such as the addition of food-service options and an outdoor dining area. More precise reporting would make the coverage more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by paragraphs describing changes and features that stayed the same. Sequencing phrases such as “To commence with,” “Secondly,” and “Furthermore” help signal the progression. However, the organisation is sometimes mechanical, and the grouping of details could be clearer. For example, the outdoor seating, barbecue, and new doors are presented together, but the barbecue’s location is described inaccurately, making the relationship between features less clear. Some transitions also do not express a precise relationship between ideas. Group the changes by location or function, and use linking phrases that show whether a feature was replaced, added, or retained. This would create smoother progression and clearer connections between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “transformed,” “remained,” “central,” and “outdoor seating,” and the reader can generally understand the changes you intend to report. There is also an attempt to use more specific terms such as “recycle bin” and “dining tables.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “staff dinning room,” “take away food chamber,” “bar of salad,” and “dinnings.” Spelling errors such as “dinning” also reduce precision. Aim to use the labels shown in the plan, for example “staff dining rooms,” “takeaway food area,” and “salad bar.” A more accurate range of location and change vocabulary would make the description clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, and the main message is usually understandable. However, grammatical control is uneven, with errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction. For example, “many new things has been introduced” should use a plural verb, while “The tables and chairs … is still there” also needs plural agreement. The opening phrase “One is earlier redesign and another is after redesigned” is not formed clearly, and “Five dining tables has been arranged” combines an incorrect verb form with a singular verb. Punctuation is also inconsistent, as in “coffee bar.The” and “However,the.” Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and plural agreement, and check sentence boundaries and spacing.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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