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)

There is a lot of changes done in the whole cafe before redesign and cafe today. Then entry and the bathroom is same before redesign and today, but they increased the bin area after redesign. However, the staff dining rooms looks to be like more congested, so they replace it by take away food and a beautiful coffee bar. Further more, the tables and chairs area seems to be same before redesign and after it but the small salad bar area is added in the corner after redesign. Also, before redesign there was no outdoor seating area, but they have added a lot of outdoor seating area now which also includes a corner section of barbecue. Now the last but not the least, is kitchen and serving area this was before redesign but after it the kitchen space is the same but the serving area is replaced by hot meals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main changes and make relevant comparisons: the staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee facilities, a salad bar is added, and outdoor seating with a barbecue appears. You also correctly note that the kitchen and toilets remain, and that the serving counter changes to hot meals. This gives the reader a generally accurate account of the redesign. Some details are less fully or precisely reported: the entrance is not mentioned, the bin becomes recycling bins rather than simply increasing in size, and the outdoor area’s four tables are omitted. The overview is also implicit rather than clearly stated. A concise opening overview identifying the major changes and what stayed the same would make the response more complete and easier to interpret.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a broadly sensible before-and-after sequence, and linking expressions such as “However,” “Further more,” and “Also” help connect comparisons. However, it is presented as one long paragraph, so the overview and supporting details are not clearly separated. Several transitions feel mechanical, particularly “Now the last but not the least,” and the repeated pattern of “before redesign” and “after redesign” makes progression less smooth. Some references are also unclear: “they increased the bin area” does not specify the change accurately, while “this” in the final sentence has an uncertain referent. Organise the report into a brief overview and a details paragraph, and group related changes together to create clearer progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main features, including “staff dining rooms,” “salad bar,” “outdoor seating,” and “barbecue.” There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “congested,” although this is not a precise description of the plan. Several choices are informal or awkward for an academic report: “a lot of changes,” “beautiful coffee bar,” and “the last but not the least.” “Increased the bin area” also mislabels the change; the plan shows recycling bins replacing the bin. Aim for neutral, precise terms such as “several changes,” “new coffee bar,” and “recycling bins were installed.” More accurate collocations and less conversational phrasing would make the description clearer and more appropriate to Task 1.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, using contrast and time clauses, for example, “before redesign there was no outdoor seating area, but they have added…” However, some grammatical errors remain and occasionally make relationships unclear. In “There is a lot of changes,” the subject and verb do not agree; “the staff dining rooms looks” also needs plural agreement. The opening sentence lacks a clear grammatical structure, and “the kitchen space is the same but the serving area is replaced” shifts awkwardly between tenses. Use consistent past and present forms to describe the redesign, and check articles and sentence boundaries. For example, “The kitchen remains in the same position, while the serving area has been replaced by a hot-meal counter” is clearer and more controlled.

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