Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-28
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 illustrate a college cafe before it was rebuilt and how it looks now.the caffeteria is totally rebuild and made new changes.There are several changes have made now.
Overall,Staff dinning room was completely changed now.Outdoor seating also added.There are newly places-salad bar,barbecue,take away food center and coffee bar- added.
In the top right corner there was serving area,now it become hot meals area.Staff dinning room have been changed into take away food and coffe bar.The bin was changed into big recycling bins.Tables and chairs and toilets remains same but in the left side, salad bar was new added.The biggest change made was there is no outdoor seating but now it is there.Two doors are added in the side of outdoor seating.TheThere is newly barbecue place near outdoor seating.There are three six seater tables and four seater two tables.Kitchen remains the same as previous cafe.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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 outdoor seating and a barbecue, and the continued presence of the kitchen and toilets. However, the account is only partly complete: the serving counter is described as being in the “top right corner,” whereas it is beside the kitchen in the upper-left area, and the salad bar is on the western wall. The table description is also inaccurate: the plan shows four rectangular outdoor tables, not “three six seater tables and four seater two tables.” The overview is useful but could more clearly summarise the main reorganisation. The response is five words below the required minimum, so it also needs a little more relevant detail.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has a basic structure, with an introduction, an overview and a paragraph describing individual changes. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “Overall” and “now” help signal comparison. However, progression is not consistently clear: the description moves between the upper area, the left side and the outdoor space without a clear route through the plans. Some linking is repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “now” and “There are.” The sentence “The biggest change made was there is no outdoor seating but now it is there” is difficult to follow, and “TheThere” interrupts the flow. Grouping changes by location or by what stayed versus what changed would make the account easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “changed into,” “added,” “recycling bins” and “outdoor seating.” These terms communicate the general nature of the redesign. However, the range is limited and several choices or spellings reduce precision, such as “caffeteria,” “dinning,” “newly places” and “barbecue place.” “Totally rebuild” is also not a natural description of the changes, since the plan shows a redesign rather than a complete rebuild. Repeated general words such as “changed” and “added” make the account less precise. Aim to use accurate location and layout vocabulary, and check spelling and collocations before finishing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
Most sentences use simple structures, and you attempt some comparisons, for example, “Staff dinning room was completely changed now” and “Kitchen remains the same as previous cafe.” However, frequent errors in sentence formation and verb agreement make parts difficult to read. The opening, “The map illustrate … now.the caffeteria is,” needs a plural verb and clearer sentence punctuation. Other examples include “There are several changes have made” and “Staff dinning room have been changed,” where the verb patterns and agreement are faulty. Articles and tense are also inconsistent, as in “Kitchen remains the same as previous cafe.” Practise forming accurate past-versus-present comparisons, and separate each complete idea with correct punctuation.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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