Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-04

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 two maps illustrates in college cafe how before it was redesigned and how it looks present.

Overall, the cafe has undergone significant redevelopment with many original features being removed or replaced. Outdoor seating and barbecue facilities have been added, including salad bar inside the cafe and several doors are also added in the cafe

In cafe before redesign there was Kitchen including serving area. For instance, all food and also drinks. Now has replaced by Kitchen including with Hot meals. In the front of kitchen door, they also added salad bar. One thing remains same from the past is Toilets and Bin.

Cafe before redesign table and chairs were served inside the cafe However in present served inside the cafe and additionally outdoor seating also available with Barbecue. In the place of staff dinning rooms now have been added take away food Furthermore Coffee bar. Before there was only two doors were there to enter and exist but now there are four doors.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main change clearly: the café has been redeveloped, with outdoor seating and a barbecue added, and the former staff dining rooms replaced by takeaway food and a coffee bar. You also report several accurate details, including the kitchen’s hot-meal counter and the continuing presence of the toilets. However, some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate. The bin was replaced by recycling bins, rather than remaining the same, and the new salad bar is described as being “in the front of kitchen,” which does not clearly locate it along the western wall. The change from two entrance doors to four doors is also imprecise: the additional doors lead to the outdoor seating. A clearer overview and more precise location descriptions would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an overview is followed by paragraphs describing the interior and the changes to seating and access. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in “In the place of staff dinning rooms now have been added take away food Furthermore Coffee bar.” Linking words such as “For instance,” “However,” and “Furthermore” are used, but some do not express the relationship between the ideas accurately, and punctuation around them is missing. The comparison of the doors is also placed at the end without a clear link to the outdoor area. Grouping changes by location and using clearer transitions would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “redevelopment,” “outdoor seating,” “barbecue,” “serving area,” and “replaced,” so the main features are generally understandable. There is some attempt to vary expression, but several word choices and collocations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “maps illustrates,” “how it looks present,” “table and chairs were served,” and “four doors were there to enter and exist.” “One thing remains same” also misrepresents the bin change. Use standard plan-description phrases such as “the café now has,” “tables and chairs were provided,” and “the entrance/exit had two doors.” More precise terms for locations and changes would help you describe the layout without ambiguity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including the overview sentence beginning “Overall” and comparisons using “before” and “now.” However, errors in agreement, articles, tense, and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “The two maps illustrates” needs subject–verb agreement, while “In cafe before redesign there was Kitchen” has missing articles and awkward word order. The sentence “Now has replaced by Kitchen including with Hot meals” lacks a clear subject and uses an incorrect passive construction. Some punctuation problems also make sentence boundaries unclear, as in “However in present served inside the cafe and additionally outdoor seating also available with Barbecue.” Build complete sentences with an explicit subject and verb, and check agreement and articles.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.