Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-03

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 compares new looks of college cafe before and after its redesigned.

Overall, there are not any major infrastructural changes inside the cafe but outside got new barbecue section and seats. Some of the section inside the cafe are renamed and used for different purpose.

Before redesign, college cafe only had one door for entry and exit which is located near small bins on right side of the map futhermore, staff dining and normal dining were seperated. A Serving area was right beside kitchen on top of the map.

After redesign, Outdoor seating and barbecue got added right outside of the cafe as well as new two doors are placed for accessing outdoor facilities. staff dining rooms is renamed into two separate take away food and coffee bar. New salad bar section is added just left side of the map.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the overall contrast between the largely retained interior and the new outdoor facilities, and you mention several key changes: the barbecue and seating, the new doors, the take-away and coffee areas, and the salad bar. However, the comparison is only partial and some details are inaccurate or unclear. The café had a double-door entrance before, rather than “one door,” and the bin was replaced by recycling bins; the kitchen and toilets also remained, while the serving counter became a hot-meals counter. The overview that there were no major internal changes overlooks these important functional alterations. The response is also 9 words below the 150-word minimum. Add a fuller account of the main changes and clarify what stayed the same.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear basic structure: an overview followed by a paragraph about the original layout and one about the redesigned café. This makes the before-and-after comparison easy to follow, and phrases such as “Before redesign” and “After redesign” provide useful signposting. However, the progression is quite brief, and some links between details are awkward or unclear. For example, the first sentence of the second paragraph combines the entrance and bins with “furthermore” without a clear relationship between those points. The final paragraph also moves quickly from outdoor facilities to interior changes. Develop each paragraph around a clearer grouping of features, and use linking expressions to show whether a feature was retained, replaced, or added.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “redesigned,” “outdoor seating,” “barbecue section,” “serving area,” and “salad bar.” These terms help communicate the main changes. However, the range is limited, and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems reduce precision: “new looks” is unnatural for a comparison of plans, “got added” is informal, and “normal dining” does not accurately describe the central area labelled “Tables and chairs.” There are also spelling errors in “futhermore” and “seperated.” Aim for more precise plan-description language, such as “was converted into,” “remained unchanged,” and “was replaced by,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including the overview beginning “Overall” and the contrast introduced by “Before redesign” and “After redesign.” The main meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “The map compares new looks of college cafe” has an incorrect noun phrase and missing articles, while “Some of the section … are renamed” has a number-agreement problem. In “staff dining rooms is renamed,” the plural subject does not agree with the verb, and “as well as new two doors are placed” has an awkward, faulty structure. Use accurate articles and plural forms, and practise constructions such as “The former staff dining rooms were replaced by…” to express changes clearly.

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

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