Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 illustrates the planning structure of a cafe in a university shows current and after the redesigning of the cafe.

overall, the cafe had experienced a modernisation. for instance, new locations are introduced.

in one hand the kitchen remains the same.staff dining rooms are redesigned it two new take away and coffe bar after redesigning.serving area is converted to place the hot meals.the tables are placed in the centre remaines unchanged.

the bin had increased the area.the toilets had not experience any developement.

on the other hand a new barbecue section is introduced to the outside of the cafe which is located at the south west of the cafe.in addition to that a huge outdoor seating is planned.a salad bar also introduced inside the cafe.tha cafe placed new 2 doors for the outdoor sitting from the cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main change as a modernisation and report several accurate features: the kitchen and central tables remain, the former serving area becomes a hot-meals counter, and new take-away, coffee and salad facilities are added. You also mention the outdoor seating and barbecue. However, the account is only partial: it does not clearly describe the replacement of the two staff dining rooms, the recycling bins, or the unchanged toilets beyond a brief statement. The claim that “the bin had increased the area” is unclear and does not match the plan; the bin is replaced by recycling bins. The response is also 12 words below the required minimum, limiting the detail available. A fuller overview and more precise comparisons would strengthen coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: you begin with an introduction and overview, then group several internal changes before describing the outdoor additions. This gives the reader a basic sense of the before-and-after comparison. However, progression is not consistently clear, partly because the response is compressed and the paragraphs are not clearly separated. Connectors such as “in one hand” and “on the other hand” are used awkwardly, and the sequence of details within the main paragraph is difficult to follow. Some links between ideas are missing, as in “the kitchen remains the same.staff dining rooms are redesigned.” Use distinct paragraphs for the overview, internal changes and outdoor changes, and link each comparison explicitly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “redesigned,” “hot meals,” “salad bar,” “barbecue” and “outdoor seating,” so the main features are generally identifiable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are imprecise or unnatural, such as “planning structure,” “new locations are introduced,” and “the bin had increased the area.” Spelling errors, including “coffe,” “developement” and “tha,” also reduce accuracy. Choose precise terms from the plan and use natural collocations: for example, say that facilities were added or replaced, and that the single bin was replaced by recycling bins. Check spelling carefully, especially for key labels and common words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a few longer structures, such as “a new barbecue section is introduced to the outside of the cafe which is located at the south west,” but most sentences rely on simple patterns, and errors are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. Examples include “a cafe in a university shows current and after,” “staff dining rooms are redesigned it two new,” and “the tables … remaines unchanged.” Tense and agreement are inconsistent, and sentence boundaries and punctuation are often missing, as in “the kitchen remains the same.staff dining rooms.” Use past tense for the former plan and present tense for the current layout, and build complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs. Proofread for articles, verb forms and sentence boundaries.

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

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