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 plan illustrates a college cafe before it was reconstructed and now how it looks.

Overall, there are many arrangements had been installed in redesiged cafe. outdoor seating would be implemented at front of the cafe enterance.

To begin with, at the north of the cafe below the kitchen there was serving area of all food and drink. but now it would be replaced with hot meals. then after, at the centre of the cafe there were two staff dinning rooms that would be substituted as take away food and coffee bar. earlier, at the west-side of the cafe, above the toilet there was little area occupied by bins. but it would be increased in space. furthermore, in the opposite side of recycling bins a salad bar would be added. Earlier, there was only one gate to enter the cafe which was beside bin. later, it would be installed with 3 gates , two gates near outdoor seating and one same as earlier.

also, barbecue would be implemented beside the outdoor seating. tables and chair , toilet .This will be remained unchanged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes, including the replacement of the serving counter with a hot-meals counter, the new takeaway and coffee-bar sections, outdoor seating and a barbecue. You also note that the toilets and central tables and chairs remain. These details address the task, but some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate: the staff dining rooms were along the north wall, not at the centre, and the bins were on the eastern side rather than west of the toilets. The overview mentions outdoor seating but does not clearly summarise the main pattern of change alongside the features that stayed the same. A clearer overview and more precise descriptions of locations would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure, moving from an overview to descriptions of the former and current layout, and phrases such as “To begin with” and “furthermore” show an effort to connect information. However, progression is not consistently clear: the account shifts between north, centre and west without a reliable route through the plans, and “in the opposite side of recycling bins” is difficult to follow. Some linking phrases, including “then after” and repeated “Earlier,” feel mechanical or do not clarify the comparison. The final fragment, “tables and chair, toilet,” also interrupts the ending. Grouping changes by location and using clear before/now contrasts would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “replaced,” “substituted,” “outdoor seating” and “remained unchanged.” This gives you a workable range for the task, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, which sometimes makes the layout harder to understand. For example, “reconstructed” is less suitable than “redesigned,” and “gates” does not clearly describe the café’s doors. Spelling errors such as “redesiged,” “enterance” and “dinning” are noticeable, while “increased in space” does not accurately describe the bin area. Aim for precise plan vocabulary and check spelling before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparisons, but control of sentence structure and verb forms is inconsistent. For example, “there are many arrangements had been installed” combines incompatible verb forms, while “outdoor seating would be implemented” uses a hypothetical form where a present description is needed. The repeated use of “would” also makes actual changes sound uncertain. Articles and sentence boundaries need attention: “at the north of the cafe below the kitchen there was serving area” lacks an article, and “tables and chair, toilet” is an incomplete sentence. Use straightforward past and present forms to compare the plans, and punctuate each complete idea clearly.

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

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