Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-12

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)

This plan gives us the structure of a college cafe how it was designed before and how it looks now.

Overall the major change comes in creation of the section barbecue and outdoor seating. Moreover salad bar also was not before in the cafe.

In the first the serving area with kitchen is replaced with hot meals. And two staff dining rooms also converted to takeaway food and coffee bar.Additonly they created a salad bar infront of the kitchen and hot meals. And the size of bin is also increased and replaced with recycling bin.

Furthermore the size of main hall decreased and added barbecue section but still the size of main hall in which table and chairs is more than as compared to barbecue and outdoor seating. There is also addition of five tables in outdoor seating infront of the barbecue .Moreover toilets remains at same location and same size.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast between the original café and its redesigned version, including the new outdoor seating and barbecue, the conversion of the staff dining rooms, and the addition of a salad bar. You also note that the toilets remain in the same location. These are relevant features and give the response a clear overall direction. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the outdoor area has four tables, not five, and the main hall is not described as having decreased in size. The bin is replaced by recycling bins, but there is no evidence that their size increased. Explain the key changes more precisely and include the new southern doors to outdoor seating to make the comparison more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing changes. This helps the reader follow the broad comparison. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Moreover,” and “Furthermore” also signal relationships between points. However, some connections feel mechanical or unclear, particularly “In the first” and the repeated use of “Moreover.” Several changes are crowded into single sentences, while the final paragraph combines the hall’s size, the barbecue, table numbers, and toilets without a clear order. Group the information by area—for example, changes inside the café followed by the new outdoor facilities—and use more precise references so each comparison is easy to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “creation,” “replaced,” “converted,” “location,” and “outdoor seating.” These choices communicate several important changes, and the response shows some ability to use topic-specific terms. However, word choice and spelling are often inaccurate or unnatural, as in “the size of bin is also increased,” “infront,” and “Additonly.” Phrases such as “This plan gives us the structure” and “in the first” are also not natural ways to introduce a plan comparison. Use concise, precise expressions such as “the café layout,” “the former staff dining rooms,” and “a recycling-bin area.” Check spelling and collocations carefully, especially for less familiar terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including comparisons and clauses introduced by “which” and “but.” The main changes are generally understandable, and some sentences convey more than one feature. However, errors in articles, agreement, verb forms, and sentence boundaries occur across the response. For example, “the size of main hall decreased” needs an article, while “toilets remains” has incorrect subject–verb agreement. The sentence beginning “In the first” also has an unclear structure, and “Moreover salad bar also was not before” is difficult to parse. Aim for shorter, controlled sentences, and check that each subject agrees with its verb and that articles are included where needed.

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