Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-26

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 rendered map illustrates the information of a university cafeteria plan before it was refurbished and how it looks today.

Overall, it can be seen from the diagram that coffee shop came under significant modifications and new rooms are introduced by adding more space compared to the previous layout.

A closer examination of the figures reveals that the past cafe has a serving area that changed to hot meals and kitchen attached to it remain the same . Furthermore, staff dining rooms were changed two distinct blocks one for take away food and other for separate coffee bar . In contrast the size of the recycling bin has increased . Similarly, the new rooms like salad bar , barbecue and any more outdoor seating furniture were installed in the today plan. Moreover, toilets remained same in size with the same location on the map .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant changes, including the serving area becoming a hot-meal counter, the staff dining rooms being replaced by takeaway and coffee sections, and the addition of a salad bar and outdoor seating. You also note that the kitchen and toilets remain. However, the overview is vague, and some details are inaccurate or unclear: the recycling bins have not increased in size; they replace the single bin. The barbecue and outdoor seating are outside, and the new southern doors are not mentioned. The response is also five words below the required minimum. Develop the main changes more fully and describe the layout accurately to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure, with an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph describing specific changes. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore,” and “Moreover” help signal relationships between points. However, the progression within the final paragraph is not always clear: it moves from the serving area to staff rooms, then to bins and outdoor features without grouping changes by location or type. Some links are also awkward or misleading, such as “In contrast” before the bin detail and “Similarly” before newly added facilities. Organise the comparison into clearer groups—for example, unchanged features, internal changes, and outdoor additions—and use transitions that accurately express those relationships.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “refurbished,” “distinct blocks,” “location,” and “installed.” However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear. “The information of a university cafeteria plan” is unnatural, while “coffee shop came under significant modifications” is an awkward way to describe the redesign. “Any more outdoor seating furniture” does not clearly convey the outdoor seating area, and “recycling bin” should be plural to match the plan’s label. Aim for precise map vocabulary such as “was converted into,” “was replaced by,” and “was added along the southern side.” This will make comparisons clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including a complex overview beginning “Overall, it can be seen…” and sentences using “that” and “which.” However, errors in articles, agreement, tense, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some descriptions difficult to follow. For example, “coffee shop came under significant modifications” lacks an article and has an unclear grammatical construction; “kitchen attached to it remain the same” has agreement and sentence-structure problems; and “staff dining rooms were changed two distinct blocks” is missing a necessary preposition and passive construction. There are also spacing and punctuation issues, such as the space before the full stop in “same .” Practise accurate past-to-present comparisons and check each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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