Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-09

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 given map repesents the cafe of a college and its design before and after.In the cafe before redesign it has a kitchen and detached serving area but in the cafe today instead of serving all meals the incuded only the hot meals. The cafe before design had a satff dining rooms later wich were converted into take away food and coffee bar.In the Cafe before redesign its included only bin but in the cafe today it also includes recycle bins. Although the tables, chairs and toilets are at the same place in both designs.The cafe that is currently incorporating includes different varities then the cafe before redesign it has a barbecue area and also has outdoor seating. Which was not included in the cafe before design. overall the cafe today has vast variety of section for different eatable items however the cafe before redesign only had some sections.

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 addition of recycling bins, and the new outdoor seating and barbecue. You also note that the toilets and central tables remain. However, the overview is broad rather than a clear summary of the main spatial changes, and some details are inaccurate or unclear: the serving counter is relabelled for hot meals, not removed, and the salad bar is omitted. The claim that the café has a “vast variety” is not a precise comparison of the plans. The response is also one word below the required minimum. To strengthen coverage, give a concise overview and report the key changes in the layout more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response groups several before-and-after comparisons together, and words such as “Although” and “overall” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, it is presented as one continuous paragraph, so the overview and supporting details are not clearly separated. The sequence also shifts between the serving area, staff rooms, bins, and outdoor facilities without a consistent route through the plans. Some links are awkward or incomplete, particularly “Although the tables, chairs and toilets are at the same place,” which does not connect smoothly to the next sentence. Use a brief overview followed by organised details, for example, describing the interior changes first and the new outdoor area last.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “take away food,” “recycle bins,” and “outdoor seating,” which helps communicate the main comparisons. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “different varities,” “different eatable items,” and “vast variety of section” do not describe the plan clearly. Spelling errors such as “repesents,” “satff,” and “wich” are noticeable, while “recycle bins” would be more accurately expressed as “recycling bins.” Aim for precise labels and natural collocations rather than general claims about variety. This will make the description clearer and more suitable for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to compare the two plans using contrastive structures, including “instead of” and “Although,” and some basic meaning is understandable. However, the response relies mainly on simple or loosely joined clauses, and several sentence structures are faulty. For example, “The cafe before redesign it has a kitchen” combines incompatible subject patterns, while “Although the tables, chairs and toilets are at the same place” is a dependent clause presented as a complete sentence. Tense and agreement are also inconsistent in “the cafe today it also includes.” Use clear past-tense descriptions for the former plan and present-tense descriptions for the current one, and check that each sentence has a complete, correctly formed clause.

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