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 diagram provide before and after layout of college cafe which represent several changes in cafe.
Before redesign the cafe it consists of kitchen, serving area, staff dining rooms, table chair zone as well as toilets nearby bin.
The modifications after redesign included are of food and drink replaced by hot meals. Staff dining room is divided into two catagries on is of food and other is coffee bar.
More facilities like salad bar constructed as well as recycling bin area become more broader. outdoor seating is designed along with the portion of barbecue where people enjoy their meal. Students and staff comfortably entertain by sitting area
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You identify the broad purpose of the plans and mention several relevant features, including the kitchen, seating, toilets, new salad bar and outdoor area. However, the comparison is only partial: important changes such as the two new southern doors, the recycling bins replacing the single bin, and the continued position of the toilets are not clearly reported. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the staff dining rooms were replaced by take-away food and a coffee bar, rather than divided into two categories, and the recycling-bin area is not shown as becoming broader. The response also contains only 107 words, below the required 150, which limits the detail available. Add a clear overview and describe the main changes more precisely.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a basic sequence, moving from the former layout to the redesigned café, and phrases such as “Before redesign” and “after redesign” help signal the comparison. However, the ideas are compressed into two short blocks, with no clear overview or systematic grouping of changes. The second paragraph moves from the serving counter to the former staff rooms, then to new facilities and a general comment, so the progression is difficult to follow. Some links between ideas are also unclear, as in “More facilities like salad bar constructed as well as recycling bin area become more broader.” Organise the report into an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs comparing indoor changes and the new outdoor area; use clear linking phrases to show what replaced or remained.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “serving area,” “hot meals,” “salad bar,” “recycling bin” and “outdoor seating,” which helps communicate the general subject. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate, making some details hard to interpret. For example, “table chair zone” is not a natural description of the seating area, “catagries” is misspelled, and “become more broader” is an awkward and redundant phrase. “Staff dining room is divided” also gives the wrong impression of the change. Aim for precise plan-description language such as “was replaced by,” “was converted into,” and “remained in the same position.” Check spelling and use standard collocations for facilities and areas.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response attempts a few longer structures, including “The modifications after redesign included…” and a sentence linking the new outdoor seating with the barbecue. However, most sentences are short or incomplete, and frequent errors in agreement, articles and verb forms reduce accuracy. For example, “The diagram provide” needs a singular verb, while “salad bar constructed” is missing an auxiliary or passive verb. The phrase “Students and staff comfortably entertain by sitting area” has an unclear grammatical structure, and punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent, particularly at the start of sentences. Use controlled passive forms to describe changes—for example, “A salad bar was added”—and check each sentence for a subject, a correctly formed verb and appropriate articles.
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