Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-02

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)

These pictures illustrate the new look of a cafe after it is redsigned with addition of some new facilities. These facilities include outdoor sitting, salad bar, barbecue and addition of coffee bar as well as take away food.

One of the most highlighting feature is the introduction of outdoor sitting in the new designe which is constructed next to the boundary wall with addition of two new doors for enterance in cafe and a barbecue setup in open space next to the sitting. However a salad bar has also been added inside the cafe , while the two adjacent rooms which were reserved for staff dining before has been transformed to a coffee bar and the second one is for food take away. Although the serving area for all kinds of food and drinks has been reserved for hot meals only , but the toilet and the kitchen remained in their orignal position.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the cafe redesign, including the new outdoor seating, salad bar, and the conversion of the staff rooms. You provide a clear overview and make relevant comparisons between the 'before' and 'after' states. However, the response is quite brief, and the description of the layout could be more precise. For instance, while you mention the kitchen and toilets remained in their original positions, a more detailed spatial description (e.g., their location relative to the new features) would have strengthened the response. Overall, you have covered the requirements of the task well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized, with an introduction followed by a body paragraph that details the changes. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Although', and 'while' to connect ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as the transition between the outdoor seating and the internal changes. The paragraphing is functional, but the second paragraph is quite dense and could have been split to improve readability. Referencing is generally clear, but the use of 'the second one' is slightly vague without explicitly naming the room again.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'redesigned', 'facilities', 'boundary wall', and 'transformed'. There are some spelling errors, such as 'redsigned', 'designe', 'enterance', and 'orignal', which are distracting. Additionally, some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'most highlighting feature' instead of 'most prominent feature'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, the frequent spelling inaccuracies and limited variety in descriptive language prevent a higher score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the 'Although... but...' construction. However, there are several grammatical errors, including punctuation issues and incorrect conjunction usage (e.g., 'Although... but' is redundant; you should use one or the other). There are also errors in article usage and preposition placement, such as 'in cafe' instead of 'in the cafe'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency and accuracy of the writing.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.