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 given floor plan is showing the changes in the college cafe befor and after redesigning it. At a glance, main features of cafe like kitchen and toilets location's remain same after modification.

To start with, in old design it mainly supports the indoor siting area but after it get change there is also outdoor seating. Furthermore, this outdoor area also inculdes the barbecue station that is absent in the old design. Also in the old and new design there is two rooms in the cafe that is suppose to be used by the staff only; however in the design the purpose of this room hase chnged to used for take away food station and coffee bar.

In the old design there is only one entry gate but in new design it changes to addition of two new entry door. The old cafe kitchen serves all kind of foods and drinks where else in the new design kitchen counter only serves the hot food.

To sum up, the majority of focus in new design is to have bigger outdoor setting area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall change—adding outdoor seating and a barbecue—and note that the kitchen and toilets remain in the same locations. You also report the change from staff dining rooms to takeaway and coffee facilities, and the shift from a general serving counter to hot meals. These are relevant comparisons and address the task. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the old plan has two doors on the eastern wall, so saying there was “only one entry gate” misrepresents the entrance; the two new doors are on the southern wall and lead outside. The claim that the new design has a “bigger outdoor setting area” is not clearly supported as a comparison. Mentioning the salad bar and recycling bins would make the account more complete, while clearer descriptions of the changes would strengthen it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable progression: an opening overview, comparisons of the seating and staff rooms, then entrances and food service, followed by a summary. Linking expressions such as “Furthermore,” “Also,” and “To sum up” help signal relationships between points. However, the organisation is not always easy to follow because several distinct changes are combined in long sentences, and some references are unclear. For example, “there is two rooms in the cafe” does not clearly distinguish the former staff rooms from their new uses, while “it changes to addition of two new entry door” leaves the location and purpose of the doors uncertain. Grouping changes by area—interior facilities, entrances, and outdoor space—and using clearer references would create smoother progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of task vocabulary, including “redesigning,” “outdoor seating,” “barbecue station,” “kitchen,” and “coffee bar,” so the reader can understand the main changes. There are also attempts to describe comparison and purpose. However, spelling errors such as “befor,” “inculdes,” and “chnged,” along with imprecise or unnatural phrases such as “indoor siting area,” “entry gate,” and “bigger outdoor setting area,” reduce accuracy and make some details less clear. “The purpose of this room” is also imprecise because the plan shows two rooms. Aim for accurate map terminology and natural collocations, and proofread spelling; this would make your vocabulary more precise without requiring unnecessarily complex words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including contrast with “however” and a relative clause in “that is suppose to be used by the staff only.” This shows some range, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction occur across the response. For example, “the main features … remain” needs a clearer grammatical structure, “there is two rooms” should use a plural verb, and “after it get change” has an incorrect verb form. The sentence beginning “Also in the old and new design” is difficult to parse, and punctuation around longer clauses is inconsistent. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and subject–verb agreement, then check each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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