Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-31

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 given maps show the cafe before redesigning and how it developed after redesigned several changes took place in the area including new facilities and infrastructure

overall the area became much more developed with new take away food, coffee bar, hot meals, saled bar, barbecue and outdoor seating constructed and some natural areas removed the most significant change was the addition of take away food, coffee bar, hot meals instead of serving area recycling bins instead of bin

before to the north of the map there was serving area while the centre was occipied by tables and chairs the area was mostly empty

after the serving area had been replaced into hot meals in addition a new take away food, coffee bar, salad bar, barbeque was built in the south the seating outdoor was also added near the barbecue area all these changes are in before and after redesigned collage cafe

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad change from a single serving area to several food facilities, and you mention the new outdoor seating and barbecue. These are relevant features, but the summary is only partial: it does not clearly describe the two former staff dining rooms being replaced by takeaway food and a coffee bar, or note that the kitchen, central tables and chairs, and toilets remain. The overview also says “some natural areas removed,” which is not supported by the plans. Several locations are vague or inaccurate, such as placing the barbecue simply “in the south” rather than just outside the south-west of the building. Select the main changes accurately and contrast them with the features that stayed the same.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic overall sequence: you introduce the redesign, give an overview, and then compare the earlier and current layouts. Words such as “overall,” “before,” “after,” and “in addition” help signal this structure. However, the response is difficult to follow because the ideas are crowded into long, poorly punctuated sentences, and the final sentence repeats the comparison without adding a clear point. The relationship between the facilities and their locations is also not consistently clear. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the main comparisons, and organise details by area—for example, changes along the north and west walls, followed by the southern outdoor area and unchanged features.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “serving area,” “tables and chairs,” “recycling bins,” and “outdoor seating,” so the reader can recognise several features of the plans. However, the range is limited and some word choices or forms are inaccurate, which makes parts of the description unclear. Examples include “saled bar” for “salad bar,” “developed” where “redesigned” or “expanded” would be more precise, and “natural areas” for features not shown as natural areas. “Constructed” is also repeated for facilities that were added or introduced. Aim for precise map language such as “was replaced by,” “was converted into,” and “was added along the western wall,” while checking spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to connect ideas using clauses, as in “the area became much more developed with…” and “after the serving area had been replaced…,” but most sentences rely on simple patterns or become run-ons. Missing punctuation makes sentence boundaries unclear, particularly in the opening and overview. There are also recurring problems with verb forms and sentence construction: “before redesigning” does not form a clear comparison, and “had been replaced into” uses an incorrect grammatical pattern. The phrase “the seating outdoor was also added” has an unnatural word order. Practise accurate comparison structures such as “Before the redesign, X was located…, whereas today…” and use full stops to separate each main point.

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

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