Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-01

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 how a college cafe redesigned before and how it looks after.

Over the period, cafe add some new facilities for customers like salad bar and barbecue. It has changed staff dining room into take away room and coffee bar.

Kitchen had on there original place in the north- west and translates serving area into hot meals area for serving delicious hot meals to the customer. Tables and chairs had center part of the cafe which has big space and bin changed into recycling bins which lies in the east side. In the south east corner, restroom was not change. In the west, cafe added salad bar which was attach with wall. Besides this, there are add barbecue from outside of the south-west corner. They add 26 chairs and 5 tables outside of the cafe in the south part for ccustomers choices to seat.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the new salad bar, barbecue and outdoor seating, and correctly note that the kitchen and toilets remain in place. However, the account is only partial: it omits the new take-away and coffee-bar sections in the detail, the two new southern doors, and the change from one bin to recycling bins could be described more clearly. The overview mentions some additions and the conversion of staff rooms, but does not summarise the overall contrast between the former indoor facilities and the expanded customer services. The claim of “26 chairs and 5 tables” is not supported by the plan, which shows four outdoor tables; avoid inventing counts. The response is also four words below the required minimum, limiting its development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic overall shape: an opening statement, a brief overview, and a paragraph describing locations and changes. This gives the reader some sense of how the café has been reorganised. However, progression within the final paragraph is uneven: it moves from the kitchen to the central seating, then east, south-east, west and outside, without a consistent route or clear grouping of indoor and outdoor changes. Linking phrases such as “Besides this” and “In the west” help, but connections are sometimes awkward or repetitive. Organise the details by area—for example, north and west, then east and south—and use clear comparisons to guide the reader through the two plans.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant plan vocabulary, including “facilities,” “recycling bins,” “north-west,” “south-west corner” and “outdoor seating,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate, such as “translates serving area,” “restroom” for the labelled toilets, and “customers choices to seat.” Spelling and typing errors, including “cafe” without consistent accenting and “ccustomers,” also reduce control. Aim for precise map language and natural collocations, such as “was converted into,” “is located along,” and “seating for customers.” Avoid adding descriptive wording such as “delicious,” which is not needed in an objective report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Most sentences are simple, and attempts to combine ideas do not yet show reliable control. Errors in verb forms and sentence construction occur repeatedly: “how a college cafe redesigned before,” “cafe add some new facilities,” and “there are add barbecue” make the intended meaning less clear. There are also problems with articles, agreement and tense, as in “Kitchen had on there original place” and “restroom was not change.” The sentence about the outdoor seating combines several details but is difficult to follow. Use consistent past tense for changes and present tense for the current layout, and practise accurate passive forms such as “was replaced by” and “were added.” Shorter, complete sentences would improve clarity while you build range.

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