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)

These two maps compare the changes that took place in a college cafe from past and today. It is clear that, the college cafe underwent significant layouts including removal of some features and construction of new facilities. Regarding past appereance, a kitchen was constructed at the top of the map. However, today it has been unchanged. Serving area built. Today, serving area has been tranformed into a hot meals. In the past, There were two staff dining rooms , but today they have been converted into a take away food and a coffee bar. Bin built at the centre of map, according the current appearance it has been transformed into a recycling bins. Tables and chairs have been unchanged by today. The salad bar and barbecue have been built by today. The outdoor seating ahs been located at the bottom of the map.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the conversion of the staff dining rooms into takeaway and coffee areas, the addition of a salad bar and outdoor seating, and the replacement of the bin with recycling bins. However, the account is only partial: it gives little detail about the new outdoor area and omits the two new southern doors and the barbecue’s position. Some descriptions are inaccurate or unclear: the bin was on the eastern wall, not “at the centre,” and the serving area became a hot-meals counter rather than being transformed into “a hot meals.” There is also no clear, well-developed overview of the main pattern of change. The response is 143 words, below the required 150; use the remaining space to report key locations and comparisons more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a broadly chronological comparison, moving from the earlier layout to the current one, and it mentions several relevant features. However, it is presented as one paragraph, so the overview and supporting details are not clearly separated. The sequence also feels list-like: “Serving area built. Today…” and “The salad bar and barbecue have been built by today” do not connect smoothly to the surrounding points. Some linking expressions, such as “However,” do not show a genuine contrast, while repeated “today” and “in the past” make cohesion mechanical. Organise the response into an introduction and overview, followed by grouped details about the interior and the new outdoor facilities, and use clearer references between changes.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant plan vocabulary, including “staff dining rooms,” “take away food,” “coffee bar,” “recycling bins,” and “outdoor seating,” which helps communicate the main changes. The range is nevertheless limited, and several word choices or forms are inaccurate or awkward: “significant layouts” does not naturally describe changes to a floor plan, “Serving area built” is incomplete, and “transformed into a hot meals” uses the wrong form. Spelling errors such as “appereance,” “tranformed,” and “ahs” also reduce accuracy. Build a more precise set of verbs for describing plans—such as “remained,” “was replaced by,” and “was added”—and check spelling and noun forms before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex structures, for example, “In the past, there were two staff dining rooms, but today they have been converted…,” and the main meaning is generally recoverable. However, the range is limited and errors occur frequently. Sentence fragments such as “Serving area built” and “However, today it has been unchanged” lack accurate structure or clear reference. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries, as in “a hot meals” and “the college cafe underwent significant layouts including removal…” Commas are sometimes misplaced, including after “It is clear that.” Use complete sentences with consistent past-versus-present forms, and proofread articles, plurals, and punctuation.

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