Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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)

The plans illustrate how layout of the cafe has changed following its renovation. Its shows past and present design of the cafe.

Overall, few small changes can be seen in kitchen and staff dining room. Bins are now replaced by recycling bins. Now there is also a salad bar and barbecue area along with the outdoor seating. In contrast, toilets remained unchanged.

Before redesign kitchen contained serving area for foof and drinks, now replaced by area where hot maels are kept.

Similary, both staff dining rooms are converted into coffee bar and take away food area. Instead of simple bins, recycling bins have been installed.

In new addition, there is now a salad bar situated west to the table and chairs. Newly designed cafe also have barbecue area , which also have outdoor seating area located on the right.

However, toilets remained the same even after the makeover. Table and chairs also remained the same as before.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the cafe before and after the redesign, and includes relevant comparisons. An overview is successfully provided at the beginning, noting key changes such as the addition of the salad bar, barbecue area, and outdoor seating. However, some areas are under-developed or lack specific detail. For instance, the description mentions that 'bins are now replaced by recycling bins' and that 'toilets remained unchanged', but certain spatial relations and features are described rather vaguely, such as the outdoor seating being located 'on the right' rather than properly specifying its position along the southern exterior wall. Overall, the response covers the key visual data points, fulfilling the basic requirements for this level while leaving room for greater extension and precision in detailing the layout changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from an introductory summary to specific body paragraphs detailing the before-and-after features. Paragraphing is attempted, though the division into very short paragraphs makes the structure feel slightly disjointed. Cohesive devices are used, but referencing is sometimes mechanical or imprecise, such as repetitive sentence openings ('Before redesign...', 'Similary...', 'In new addition...', 'However...'). While the overall message can be followed without significant confusion, the lack of smoother transitions and more flexible linking means the organizational flow remains somewhat basic and formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms relevant to a floor plan description such as 'layout', 'renovation', 'serving area', 'salad bar', and 'barbecue area'. There are, however, several spelling and word-choice errors that occur throughout the response, including 'foof' instead of 'food', 'maels' instead of 'meals', and 'Similary' instead of 'Similarly'. Less common vocabulary is attempted, but these inaccuracies in spelling and occasional awkward collocations prevent the response from achieving a higher band, though they do not seriously impede overall communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence forms, such as 'The plans illustrate how layout of the cafe has changed following its renovation.' Control over basic grammar and punctuation is evident, but there are noticeable errors in articles and prepositions, including missing articles ('how layout of the cafe', 'have barbecue area') and minor structural slips. There are also occasional awkward prepositional phrases like 'situated west to the table'. These errors occur regularly alongside error-free simple sentences, but they rarely impede comprehension, reflecting a typical performance at this level.

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