Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-05

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 plans compares the outlook of college cafe before and after renovation. Some interior and rooms are changes and some remain same like before. Redesigned model is much more spacious and advance.

Overall, kitchen, table chairs, toilets are remains at same spot with slight changing of rubbish area, In before image it was a simple bin infront of toilet but after redesigning it converted into recycling bin. Staff dinning rooms are changed to take away food and coffee bar areas. Furthermore, In the front of the kitchen there was a serving area with all food and drinks which converted for only hot meals.

However, salad bar have added to renoveted design which is outside the kitchen area and at the end of tables and chairs hall. In new design, spacious outdoor seating is also added with barbecue option.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the conversion of the staff dining rooms into takeaway and coffee areas, the change from a general serving counter to hot meals, and the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue. You also note that the kitchen and toilets remain in place. However, the overview is unclear: calling the redesign “much more spacious” is not well supported by the plan, and the response omits the salad bar’s position and the new southern doors. Some descriptions, such as the bin being “infront of toilet,” are imprecise. The response is 138 words, below the required 150, and several features therefore remain underdeveloped. A fuller summary should clearly compare the main internal changes and the new outdoor facilities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to further changes. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore,” and “However” help signal relationships between points. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the second paragraph combines several separate comparisons in one long sentence, while the final paragraph introduces the salad bar and outdoor area without a clear organising principle. Some connections are also awkward, particularly “In the front of the kitchen” and “which converted.” Grouping unchanged features together, then describing changes inside and outside, would make the comparison easier to follow. More precise referencing and sentence boundaries would also reduce the effort required to understand the sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “redesign,” “serving area,” “recycling bin,” “take away food,” and “outdoor seating.” This gives the reader a basic understanding of the changes. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate, such as “outlook” for the layout, “advance” for advanced or modern, “dinning,” and “renoveted.” Phrases such as “rubbish area” and “barbecue option” are also imprecise for the features shown. These errors are noticeable and sometimes make the description less clear, although the main meaning can generally be recovered. Aim for accurate plan-description terms and check spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a comparison with “but” and a relative clause beginning “which.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors occur in basic sentence patterns as well as longer constructions. For example, “The plans compares” has subject–verb disagreement, while “kitchen, table chairs, toilets are remains” combines incompatible verb forms. “Some interior and rooms are changes” and “salad bar have added” also show problems with agreement and passive construction. Articles and sentence punctuation are frequently missing or misplaced, and the long sentence beginning “Overall” is difficult to parse. Practise accurate present-tense descriptions and passive forms, then use shorter, clearly punctuated sentences to express each comparison.

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