Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-01

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 two diagram below compares the current college cafe design and how it used to be.

Overall, we can see that there are few changes in the new design inside the cafe as well outside the cafe. There is no changes in kitchen and toilets, they are at the same place where they were before.

The most noticeable change from the existing design is that barbecue and outdoor seating has been constructed outside the cafe. Staff dining rooms has been replaced by parcel food and coffee bar, while separate room for each. A few changes can be seen in the new design of cafe which can be used for barbecue and outdoor seating. Salad bar has been installed in the middle of cafe.

In the new cafe design bin is at the same place before it was used to be but a slightly change has been made in the space of bin, which is larger than before it was used to be. However, instead of serving area which contain all food and drink is now just serving hot meals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, such as the addition of the barbecue area and the changes to the serving area. However, the report lacks precision and clarity. For instance, the description of the 'parcel food and coffee bar' is confusing, and the mention of 'separate room for each' is vague. The summary of the bin and serving area is also somewhat disjointed. To improve, you should focus on clearly contrasting the 'before' and 'after' states using more precise measurements or spatial descriptions, and ensure that all key features shown in the diagrams are accurately identified and described.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'in the new cafe design bin is at the same place' lack necessary articles and flow. The transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt, making the progression feel slightly disjointed. While there is an attempt to use linking words, the overall logical flow could be improved by using more varied and sophisticated cohesive devices to connect sentences and ideas more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'parcel food' instead of 'takeaway food' and 'instead of serving area which contain all food'. The repetition of basic verbs like 'is' and 'has been' limits the range. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to use more specific terminology related to floor plans and spatial changes, such as 'relocated', 'expanded', 'partitioned', or 'converted'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The two diagram below compares', 'Staff dining rooms has been replaced') and missing articles ('in the middle of cafe', 'bin is at the same place'). The sentence structures are relatively simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often contain errors. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and ensuring that your sentence structures are grammatically sound.

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

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