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 diagrams illustrate the structure of a college cafe before and after the renovation.

Overall, the cafe after the reconstruction comprises some additional constituents such as hot meals, outdoor seating and salad bar which are not present in old cafe.

The cafe before redesign contains some important features such as a kitchen, serving area, staff dining rooms, table and chairs and toilets which are the necessary parts of every cafe. However, the new cafe has been modified to include some additional features such as salad bar room, a coffee bar, outdoor seating, barbecue and recycling bins.

The old building consist of only main features but in new modified building serving area is changed into hot meals, salad bar is made in the hall, bins are converted into recycling bins, outdoor seating is maintained for those students who likes to eat outside and barbecue is constructed at the left end of the south. In renewed cafe the staff dining rooms are converted into coffee bar and take away food. Hence, new building of cafe is more advanced than old one.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main change clearly: the café gains facilities such as a salad bar, outdoor seating and a barbecue, while the former staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee areas. You also report several accurate conversions, including the serving counter becoming a hot-meals counter and the bin being replaced by recycling bins. This gives a relevant overview and addresses the before-and-after comparison. However, some details are unclear or imprecise: “salad bar room” is not a room, and “outdoor seating is maintained” suggests it existed before, whereas it is newly added. The description also omits useful spatial changes, especially the new southern doors and the barbecue’s position beside the outdoor seating. Develop these comparisons more precisely and avoid unsupported claims such as the café being “more advanced.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing features and changes. This helps the reader follow the general comparison. However, the progression is not consistently clear because the second and third paragraphs repeat lists of additions, and the final paragraph combines several changes without a clear spatial order. Linking phrases such as “However” and “Hence” are used, but “Hence” introduces an opinion rather than a conclusion drawn from the plan. Group the information by location or by unchanged and changed features, and use references such as “along the north wall” to connect details. This would make the organisation more purposeful and reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a redesigned building, including “renovation,” “converted,” “recycling bins” and “outdoor seating.” These choices communicate the main changes, but several expressions are imprecise or unnatural for a plan description. “Additional constituents” is an awkward way to refer to facilities, “salad bar room” mislabels the feature, and “maintained” does not accurately describe newly added outdoor seating. “At the left end of the south” is also an unclear location phrase. Aim for precise terms such as “facilities,” “counter” and “south-west corner,” and use consistent labels from the plan. More accurate collocations would make the description clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including the contrast in “The old building consist of only main features but in new modified building…” and the relative clause “those students who likes to eat outside.” Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “building consist” needs subject–verb agreement (“building consists”), and “students who likes” should be “students who like.” Articles and number are also inconsistent in phrases such as “in old cafe” and “table and chairs”; use “the old café” and “tables and chairs.” The sentence beginning “The old building…” is overloaded and would be clearer if divided. Check agreement, articles and plural forms, while continuing to practise complex sentences.

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