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 blueprint below illustrates a college cafe before and after its renovation.

Overall with the remapping of school cafe, few new sections are added including hot meals, salad bar, coffee bar, takeaway food and new out door seating is introduced outside the building to maximize the capacity of customers.

The old cafe lacks a few most important aspects. It is very simple and old fashioned with the seating only available inside the vacinity. Kitchen has the serving area where all drinks and food is served. The main hall has a separate dinning room only for staff. the hall has then large portion that consists of tables and chairs where students can sit and enjoy their food.

The cafe today is designed in a way that looks attractive and has alot of more options than the old version. The kitchen is somewhat the same but the main hall now has added saled bar, takeaway and a coffee bar for those who just want to enjoy coffee. furthermore bins are added and a new seating area is introduced outside along with barbecue.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main change clearly: the café has gained several food and drink facilities and outdoor seating, and you compare the old and current layouts. You also correctly note that the kitchen remains broadly similar and that the central seating area is retained. However, some important details are missing or imprecise. The former staff dining rooms are described as “a separate dinning room,” although there were two, and the new hot-meals counter is not clearly distinguished from the old all-food-and-drink serving area. The recycling bins are mentioned without explaining that they replace the single bin in the same position. A more complete overview and more precise comparisons of the north and south sides would make the report more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a description of the former café and a final paragraph about the current layout. This gives the reader a basic route through the comparison. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes loose. The overview lists additions but does not group them by location, while the final paragraph moves from the kitchen to the main hall, bins and outdoor area without clear spatial sequencing. Linking words such as “furthermore” help, but the repeated use of “the hall” and “the cafe” makes references less precise. Organise the details by area—for example, north, west, centre and south—and use clearer contrasts such as “whereas” or “in contrast” to connect the two plans.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a redesign, including “blueprint,” “renovation,” “seating area,” “takeaway” and “barbecue.” These choices make the general changes understandable. However, several word choices or spellings are inaccurate or informal for a plan description: “remapping” is not the right term for the redesign, “vacinity” is misspelled, and “saled bar” appears to mean “salad bar.” Phrases such as “alot of more options” and “old fashioned” are also imprecise or awkward. Aim for accurate facility names and neutral descriptive language, such as “the café was redesigned” and “a wider range of food and drink facilities.” This would improve precision without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. For example, the overview uses a participial phrase, while the final paragraph combines several changes in one sentence. However, errors in sentence construction, agreement, articles and punctuation recur. “Overall with the remapping…” is an awkward opening construction, and “Kitchen has the serving area” needs an article and clearer sentence structure. The sentence beginning “The main hall has a separate…” is followed by a lowercase “the,” creating a punctuation and capitalisation problem. There are also inconsistent forms in “all drinks and food is served.” Use shorter, controlled sentences and check articles, subject–verb agreement, and sentence boundaries before adding complex clauses.

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