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 café before has a very simple design consisting of a simple entrance with tables and chairs with a small kitchen that has a basic serving area on the other hand the café after being redesigned has some new additions which are a coffee bar, salad bar, outdoor sitting and a barbecue area.The new designed is much more better and peaceful as it has a separate outdoor space for people who prefer to have their meals outside while enjoying the weather.The new coffee bar is for the people who want different kinds of drinks under one roof. The barbecue area is the most interesting one for the people who love barbecue and smokey meals the overall atmosphere is much better than before creating a friendly environment for the guests.The café now also have a separate take away option for the customers who want to enjoy the meal at home, a larger recycle bin is also there to keep the area neat and tidy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several major changes, including the coffee bar, salad bar, outdoor seating, barbecue area and takeaway option, and you note that the café has been redesigned. However, the response only partly fulfils the map-summary task because it focuses heavily on imagined benefits and atmosphere rather than describing the layout and comparing the plans. Claims that the new design is “more peaceful” and creates a “friendly environment” are not shown by the plans. Important factual changes are also omitted, such as the former staff dining rooms being replaced, the serving counter becoming a hot-meals counter, and the recycling bins replacing the bin. Give a concise overview of the main structural changes, then report the key locations accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall sequence: it introduces the café before and after the redesign, then mentions several new facilities. This gives the reader a basic sense of the comparison. However, most information is packed into one paragraph, and the long opening sentence combines several features without clear separation. Linking is also limited and sometimes awkward: “on the other hand” signals contrast, but the sentence does not clearly organise the two plans, while “the overall atmosphere” shifts abruptly from describing facilities to giving an opinion. Use separate paragraphs for an overview and the main changes, and group features by location or by what was retained, removed and added. This would make the progression clearer and reduce the list-like effect.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “redesigned,” “outdoor space,” “take away option” and “recycle bin,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise for a formal map description. “Simple” appears twice in the opening, while “much more better” is an inaccurate, informal comparison. “Outdoor sitting” and “smokey meals” are not the most natural choices in this context, and “larger recycle bin” adds a size detail not established by the plans. Prefer precise terms such as “outdoor seating,” “barbecue area” and “recycling bins,” and use vocabulary that describes the layout rather than speculating about customers’ preferences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts some longer sentences and uses clauses such as “as it has a separate outdoor space,” but control is uneven, and several errors make the writing less clear and formal. For example, “The new designed is” has an incorrect verb form, “much more better” uses a double comparative, and “The café now also have” has subject–verb disagreement. The opening sentence is a run-on, with several ideas joined without appropriate sentence boundaries; punctuation is also missing after “area” and “meals.” There is some variety in sentence structure, but complex sentences are not consistently controlled. Practise accurate comparisons, agreement and verb forms, and divide long sentences into shorter, complete statements.

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