Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-08

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 that the cafe before the changing and the after chnaging the design.

Before changing the design we can see there was a big hall that is specific for sitting (tables and chairs). The enterence of the hall was on the top right corner. Toilets were the rare right corner of the hall. Two staff dinning rooms were on the middle of the upper wall and a Bin in the center of the right wall. There was attached kitchen and serving area(all foods and drinks).

Now we talk about the new design of the cafe. In the new design we can see alot of changings in the cafe. Toilets remains there on the rare right coner and recycle bin and the enterence of the hall is aloso there but two more enterneces of the hall we can that is lower wall and we can a salad bar on the middle of the left wall. BBQ section is new that is attached in the rare left corner and we can outside sitting also.

Overall, before the redesign of the cafe we don't have salad bar, BBQ and ooutside sitting. But after the redesign we have all these sections and two more enterences also

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the new salad bar, barbecue and outdoor seating, and correctly note that the toilets remain in the same corner and the bin becomes recycling bins. However, the account is only partly complete: it does not explain that the former staff dining rooms are replaced by takeaway food and a coffee bar, or that the serving counter becomes a hot-meals counter. Some locations are also unclear or inaccurate; for example, the barbecue is described as being in the rear-left corner, whereas it is outside to the south-west, and the entrance is said to remain without clearly distinguishing the original east-side doors from the new southern doors. The overview mainly lists additions rather than summarising the main pattern of redesign. Include the key replacements and describe positions more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable sequence: it first describes the original café, then the new layout, and ends with an overall comparison. This gives the reader a basic framework, and phrases such as “Before changing the design” and “Now we talk about the new design” signal the shift between plans. However, the progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several features are joined in long, loosely connected sentences, particularly the sentence beginning “Toilets remains there…”. The overview also repeats details already mentioned rather than drawing the comparison together. Use clearer sentence boundaries and group information by area—for example, changes inside the café, followed by the new outdoor facilities. More precise referencing would also make relationships between features easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “staff dining rooms,” “serving area,” “salad bar,” and “outdoor sitting,” so the reader can identify many of the features being described. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings make the description less precise, such as “changings,” “enterences,” “rare right corner,” and “outside sitting.” “Rare” does not convey the intended position; “bottom-right corner” is clearer, while “outdoor seating” matches the plan’s label. Repetition of “we can see” and “new design” also limits flexibility. Build a bank of accurate location phrases and facility names, and use alternatives such as “is located,” “is replaced by,” and “is added” to describe the changes more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate the basic comparison using simple past and present forms, and there are attempts to combine ideas, for example, “Toilets remains there… and recycle bin…”. However, control of sentence structure and verb forms is inconsistent, and some sentences are difficult to interpret. Examples include “The diagram shows that the cafe before the changing and the after chnaging the design,” which lacks a clear grammatical structure, and “Toilets remains there,” where the subject and verb do not agree. Articles and plurals are also often omitted or mismatched, as in “a Bin” and “two more enterneces.” Practise accurate simple sentences first, then connect them with controlled clauses. Check subject–verb agreement, articles, and past-versus-present forms when describing the two plans.

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