Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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.

The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The plans illustrates the new look of the college cafe with new design and infrasturcture and compasre it with the old design of the cafe.

Overall, it is clear that the cafe is redesigned with a new and fresh look with the addition of new sitting area. The main thing this is that they have added new tables and chairs with outdoor setting and some of other facilites have added. Mostly the new feature have been added and some the things are relocated.

Before the redesign of the cafe the sitting area are inside the cafeand their is no way to go outside of the cafe. Moreover their is only one place where the food is being cooked and the drinks are beign prepared. Their is no separate place for barbecue. Most of the features are located on the same place which may cause the rush in cafe.

When the cafe is redesign first they have changed the sitting area to outside as well so customers will eat properly with fresh air. They have added the separate barbecue section outisde so everyone can enjoy barbecue as well. The coffee bar has been added. Many features has be relocated as well.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad change from an indoor-only café to one with outdoor seating and a barbecue, and you include an overview that recognises new facilities and relocation. However, the account is only partly informative: several key changes are omitted, including the take-away section, salad bar, hot-meals counter, and recycling bins, while the toilets remain in the same place. The claim that “the sitting area” was changed to outside is misleading because the central tables and chairs remain indoors and outdoor seating is added. The statement that there was “no way to go outside” is also not established by the plan. To strengthen the report, describe the main before-and-after locations accurately and avoid unsupported explanations such as customers eating “properly with fresh air.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overall summary, and separate paragraphs for the café before and after redesign. This gives the reader a basic chronological comparison. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Before the redesign,” and “When the cafe is redesign” help signal the stages, although the last transition is grammatically awkward and the repeated use of “Moreover” and “as well” makes connections feel mechanical. Some references are unclear, particularly “Most of the features are located on the same place” and “Many features has be relocated,” which do not specify what changed. Organise the details by location or by changes, and use precise references to connect each comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “sitting area,” “barbecue section,” “coffee bar,” and “redesign,” so the reader can follow the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive: “new and fresh look,” “new feature,” and “features” recur without naming the facilities. Spelling errors such as “infrasturcture,” “compasre,” “beign,” and “outisde” are noticeable, while “setting” is used where “seating” is intended. Use the plan’s specific labels—such as “take-away food,” “salad bar,” and “recycling bins”—and practise accurate spelling and natural collocations to make the description more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few longer structures, including “so customers will eat properly with fresh air,” and use time references to distinguish the two plans. However, the range is limited, and frequent errors in sentence structure and basic grammar sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “The plans illustrates” (subject–verb agreement), “the sitting area are” (agreement), and “When the cafe is redesign” (incorrect passive form). There are also errors in articles and sentence construction, as in “Most of the features are located on the same place.” Practise forming accurate past-tense passive sentences, for example, “The staff dining rooms were replaced by a coffee bar and a take-away area,” and check agreement and articles in each sentence.

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