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.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The planes illustrates a collage cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.
It is clear that, cafe has changed considerably with introduction of new features. The main development of cafe is addition of new food, drinks, salad bar, and outdoor seating with barbecue point.
Looking at the planes in more details, cafe before has only few features with a simple kitchen, one serving area and two sections for staff dining rooms that were used for only staff. Moreover, small indoor seating and simple bin that not attract more students.
After the development of the cafe, kitchen place has been at same place, but serving area replaced to hot meals. In the major development, addition of salad bar section in the West side of the cafe, and simple bin convert into recycling bins that are environmental friendly. Staff dining rooms convert into take away food and a coffee bar and also add few new drinks that definitely boost the sale of cafe. Toilets placed at the same place, and addition of outdoor seating have been the latest development of cafe with barbecue section.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The response gives a clear overview of substantial change, identifying new food and drink facilities and the outdoor seating with a barbecue. It also accurately notes that the kitchen and toilets remain in place, the staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee areas, and the bin is replaced by recycling bins. These relevant comparisons show good coverage of the plans. However, some details are vague or unsupported: “add few new drinks” is not specified in the plan, and the description does not mention the two new southern doors or the four outdoor tables. The claim that the earlier seating was small and did not attract students is also an inference rather than a feature shown. More precise coverage of the layout would strengthen the response further.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs comparing the café before and after the redesign. The sequence from the original layout to the current one is generally understandable, and phrases such as “After the development” help signal the change. However, progression within the final paragraph is somewhat list-like, with several features joined by “and” rather than grouped into a clear spatial or functional order. “In the major development” is an unclear transition, and repeated references to “addition” make the links mechanical. Organising the details into indoor changes and outdoor additions, with clearer referencing, would make the comparison easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The response uses relevant vocabulary for describing a redesigned space, including “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “recycling bins,” and “outdoor seating.” It also attempts more specific language such as “environmental friendly” and “latest development,” showing some range. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise: “planes” is used for plans, “collage cafe” for college café, and “barbecue point” is not a natural description. “Simple bin” and “small indoor seating” are also unclear. These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main changes, but they make the description less precise. Use standard plan vocabulary and check spelling and collocations carefully.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response attempts both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “but” and a relative clause in “that were used for only staff.” The main sequence of changes is usually understandable. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, and several errors affect sentence accuracy: “The planes illustrates” has subject–verb disagreement, while “cafe has changed” and “kitchen place has been at same place” lack appropriate articles or use an unsuitable verb construction. The sentence beginning “In the major development” is a fragment, and “addition of outdoor seating have been” has agreement problems. Work on articles, verb forms, agreement, and complete sentence construction while retaining the attempts at complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.