Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-09

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 two plans depicted a cafe of college before it was renovated and how it looks now.

Overall, there is a significant change can be seen now, as a new barbecue, outdoor seating and salad bar are newly introduced in the cafe as it was not there before. Staff dining rooms have been replaced with take away section and coffee bar, while others things remains unchanged.

To begin with, major redesign in the cafe can be seen, when you enter from the gate near to recycling bins, in front of you there is take away food section and coffee bar, which was firstly dining room for staff. salad bar is newly made in the west side of the cafe.

Beside salad bar, there is a barbecue section with outdoor seating for the students is recently made by the college. kitc hen and hot mea

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several major changes, including the replacement of the staff dining rooms with takeaway food and a coffee bar, and the addition of a salad bar and outdoor seating. The overview also notes that some features remain unchanged. However, the report is incomplete: it ends mid-sentence (“kitc hen and hot mea”), so important details such as the kitchen, hot-meals counter, toilets and recycling bins are not clearly compared. The barbecue is also placed “Beside salad bar,” whereas it is outside, to the south-west of the building. The response is 144 words, below the required 150. To develop the summary more fully, cover the main internal changes and the new outdoor area accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an overview to descriptions of changes, and uses some linking expressions such as “Overall,” “To begin with” and “while.” However, progression is uneven: the final paragraph introduces the barbecue and outdoor seating without clearly relating them to the building, then breaks off mid-sentence. The phrase “Beside salad bar” also makes the location relationship unclear. Some references, such as “others things,” are vague, and the sequence “when you enter … in front of you” shifts into directions rather than a clear comparison of the two plans. Organise the body by grouping internal changes and outdoor additions, and use precise references to locations and features.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “renovated,” “recycling bins,” “staff dining rooms,” “salad bar” and “outdoor seating,” so the reader can recognise several key features. However, the range is limited and some choices are awkward or imprecise: “gate” is not the best term for the entrance, “newly introduced” is repetitive, and “Beside salad bar” does not accurately describe the barbecue’s position. Spelling and word-form problems, including “kitc hen” and “take away section,” also reduce control. Use standard plan-description terms such as “entrance,” “located,” “replaced by” and “to the south-west of,” and check spelling and compound forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, for example the overview beginning “Overall” and the clause “while others things remains unchanged.” However, errors are frequent enough to make some relationships difficult to follow. Examples include “a significant change can be seen now” (missing “that”), “others things remains” (number and agreement), and “which was firstly dining room” (missing article and awkward clause structure). The sentence beginning “when you enter” is also difficult to control, while the final sentence is incomplete. Use complete, direct comparison sentences and check articles, subject–verb agreement, plurals and sentence endings. For example: “The staff dining rooms were replaced by a takeaway counter and a coffee bar.”

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