Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-25

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 plan clearly demonstrates the structure of a college cafe earlier when it was not redesigned and how it look now.

Overall, The area of the kitchen and toilet area remained unchanged after redesigning. However, The area which was designated for the staff dining room became an area for takeaway food and coffee bar, Some areas such as Salad bar, Barbecue and outdoor seating were introduced today. The name of serving area changed to 'Hot meals' and the area preserved for bin has increased and renamed with recycling bin.

To begin with, The area preserved for kitchen and toilet remained the same even after cafe redesigning, Whereas the place for staff dining room completely changed to Take away food room and coffee bar. In addition, area for Table and chairs became short because of increased area of preserved for bin.

Furthermore, the salad bar also placed in the side area of table and chairs, whereas the serving area was renamed with hot meals. In the end, two areas named as barbecue and outdoor seating was introduced newly when redesigned

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, including the areas that remained unchanged and those that were modified or added. You successfully identified key changes such as the conversion of the staff dining room and the introduction of new facilities like the barbecue and outdoor seating. However, the report lacks a clear, analytical overview that synthesizes the changes effectively. While you mention some features, the description of the layout changes is somewhat repetitive between the overview and the body paragraphs. To improve, ensure your overview highlights the most significant trends, such as the shift toward a more customer-focused, service-oriented layout, rather than just listing individual changes.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'To begin with', 'Whereas', and 'Furthermore'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as starting sentences with 'In the end' or using 'Whereas' to connect clauses that could be better linked with more sophisticated transitions. Additionally, some referencing is unclear; for instance, 'the area preserved for bin' is awkward and repetitive. Improving the flow between sentences by varying your linking words and ensuring clear pronoun reference would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary to describe the changes, such as 'redesigned', 'designated', 'introduced', and 'preserved'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'area preserved for bin', 'became short', and 'placed in the side area'. These choices occasionally impede the precision of your description. To reach a higher band, focus on using more natural collocations and precise terminology for describing spatial changes, such as 'expanded', 'repurposed', or 'allocated'. Avoid repeating the word 'area' excessively, as it limits the sophistication of your lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'how it look now' (should be 'looks'), 'The name of serving area' (missing article 'the'), 'area for Table and chairs became short' (awkward phrasing), and 'two areas... was introduced' (subject-verb agreement error). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and consistent tense usage when describing the changes.

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

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