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 building illustrate the layout of a college cafe before it was redevelopment and after redesigned. It shows the development after the construction in college cafe.

Overall, Today cafe has improved than before. The outdoor seats, barbecue has added in today's cafe. Also the in the kitchen area the beverage section has also changed. Today cafe has quite convenient than before and also has spacious area.

In before redesign cafe, there are not much facilities. In the added room of cafe there ia kitchen and serving area. All food and drink has served in same section. The staff dining rooms has only two rooms. Before the cafe has not quite facilities that crucial for college cafe.

After the cafe redesigned, there are many activities in the cafe. In the kitchen section the hot meals are provided. The staff dining rooms also replaced by take away food and coffee bar. Also the recycling bins has provided in the south area. And the main constructed are the outdoor seating. There are available of seating area. In addition, the barbecue section has also added in today cafe outside the cafe. Furthermore, in the left side of the cafe there is salad bar. the bevarage gas aslo different section than before. But toilets remains the same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main change from a single indoor café to a more varied facility, noting the new outdoor seating and barbecue, the replacement of staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee areas, and the unchanged toilets. These are relevant comparisons and give the response a clear overall direction. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the recycling bins are on the eastern wall, not the south, and the claim that the café has become more spacious is not clearly supported by the plans. The description of the original layout is also general, while important changes such as the new salad bar and the central seating area could be reported more precisely. A more complete, location-based comparison would strengthen the account.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the café before and after redesign. This helps the reader follow the broad comparison. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and several linking expressions are repetitive or awkward, including repeated uses of “Also” and “Furthermore.” Some references are difficult to interpret, such as “the added room of cafe” and “the main constructed are the outdoor seating.” Grouping changes by location—north, west, east, and south—would create a clearer sequence. Use linking words only where they show a genuine relationship, and make each sentence connect clearly to the feature being described.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “recycling bins,” “salad bar,” and “outdoor seating.” This gives you enough language to identify several key features. However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive: “improved than before,” “many activities,” and “the main constructed” do not express the intended ideas naturally. There are also spelling errors such as “bevarage” and “aslo,” and “beverage section” is imprecise for the changes shown. Build a more precise set of map-description terms, such as “was replaced by,” “was added,” “remained unchanged,” and “along the western wall,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and more developed sentences, and the reader can generally understand the main comparison. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make several sentences awkward or unclear. For example, “The two building illustrate” needs plural agreement, while “before it was redevelopment and after redesigned” has incorrect forms and an incomplete parallel structure. In “The staff dining rooms has only two rooms,” the subject and verb do not agree. Some sentences also lack a clear grammatical structure, such as “There are available of seating area.” Practise accurate past-versus-present descriptions and build complete sentences around each change; this will make your ideas easier to follow.

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