Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06

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 diagram shows a comparison image of cafe how it looks when it was under the planned phase and how it is looking when done with the designed phase. The image of cafe before redesign shows a big room that is parted into two where one portion shows the kitchen and serving area while the portion shows the dinning and serving room with tables and chairs in the hall and besides the dinning hall there are toilets.

After redesigning and rennovating the appearance of cafe changes, as addition of more spaces for stalls like salad bar, barbecue and coffee bar at corners of the cafe. The outdoor seatings are also available at the entrance of cafe with multiple tables and chairs. The kitchen is separated by the hot meal section where the food prepared, and are delieved to the take away section. Overall the image is about the redesigning phase of cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially. While you attempt to describe the changes between the two plans, some key features are missed or described vaguely, such as the replacement of the staff dining rooms with a take away food section and a coffee bar. Furthermore, the selection of data lacks a clear overview, and the final concluding sentence is overly brief and simplistic. To reach a higher level, you should ensure all major modifications are reported systematically and provide a well-rounded introductory overview that outlines the main general trends shown in the diagrams.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

There is a coherent overall arrangement to your writing, and you attempt to guide the reader through the comparison using temporal transitions like 'before redesigning and rennovating' and 'After redesigning'. However, the organisation of information inside your sentences is sometimes mechanical and referencing can be unclear, such as when you refer to 'the portion shows' without clear antecedents. Paragraphing is also limited, as the response is condensed into two blocks rather than structured logically into an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Using clearer cohesive devices and establishing distinct paragraphs would greatly improve the progression of your ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate for the task. You use basic terms and make several noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word form, such as 'rennovating', 'delieved', and 'appearance of cafe changes'. You attempt some less common vocabulary items like 'barbecue' and 'salad bar', but the range remains restricted and errors occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve, you should focus on expanding your range of descriptive verbs and nouns related to structural changes, and check your spelling and word forms carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You demonstrate a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple or awkwardly joined clauses. When you attempt more complex sentence forms, they are often faulty, as seen in 'The diagram shows a comparison image of cafe how it looks when it was under the planned phase'. There are frequent errors in articles, prepositions, and verb tenses, such as 'how it is looking when done with the designed phase' and 'The outdoor seatings are also available'. These grammatical inaccuracies can cause difficulty for the reader and prevent the text from flowing smoothly.

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.