Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

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 two diagram compare the layout of two college cafe before and after renovation. Overall the cafe become more modren and convenient. Several new food srevice are added. The staff dining area were replaced by the takeaway food and coffee bar. In addition outdoor seat , barbecue and recycling bin were introduced.

Before the redesinged, the kitchen were placed in the top left corner and a serving area for all foods and drinks in thr front of the kitchen.The toilet is in the lower right corner and a bin near it and also having a entrence at the right side of the staff dining rooms.

After the cafe were redesigned, The staff dining rooms were replaced by the take away food and the coffee bar. In addition the outdoor seating area and barbecue system are also placed in the outside of the cafe at the bottom side and make two entrence for seating area and barbecue. The tables and chairs are remain same ion its place. The major change was the hot meal replaced by the serving area for all foods and drinks and the recycling bin also replaced by the bin.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all main features of the two diagrams. You present a clear overview of the major transformations, noting that the café became more modern and convenient with the addition of new food services and outdoor facilities. Key spatial changes are accurately reported, such as the staff dining rooms being replaced by a takeaway food counter and coffee bar, the introduction of a salad bar along the western wall, and the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue area. While there are a few minor omissions, such as omitting explicit mention of the salad bar in the body paragraphs, the essential comparisons between the 'before' and 'after' layouts are effectively executed, satisfying the requirements for this band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The report shows a clear logical organisation, moving from an introductory overview to specific details about the previous layout and subsequent changes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the visual data. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or missing, and referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in sentences like 'Before the redesinged, the kitchen were placed...'. Additionally, transitions between sentences could be smoother to enhance the overall flow. Despite these minor issues, the progression of information remains generally clear and easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying specific features from the diagrams such as 'kitchen', 'take away food', 'coffee bar', 'barbecue', and 'recycling bin'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('diagram' instead of diagrams, 'modren', 'srevice', 'redesinged', 'entrence', 'remain same ion its place') and awkward word choices ('barbecue system'). You attempt some less common lexical items, but inaccuracies in spelling and word form prevent the response from achieving a higher band score. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main points, but lacks precision in places.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is noticeably inconsistent. There are several subject-verb agreement errors and tense issues, such as 'These two diagram compare' (should be 'diagrams compares' or 'diagram compares'), 'the kitchen were placed' (should be 'was placed'), 'the cafe were redesigned' (should be 'was redesigned'), and 'are remain same' (should be 'remain the same'). Punctuation is also weak in places, with missing commas after introductory phrases. While these errors do not completely impede communication, their frequency prevents the writing from reaching a higher band level.

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.