Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-11

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 diagrams illustrate the changes that made the college cafe a new look. Before modification, the cafe was totally simple and had only basic arrangements. However, after some alterations the cafe gave an impressive look. In addition, there are salad bar, take away food, coffee bar, barbecue area and whole outdoor sitting area. These are changes that were not take place in previous design.

Overall, serving area is declined and placed there a hot meals. There was only one bin but now there are many recycling bins. There are addition of 5 more things in new design but the toilets still remain at their place.

In old look, there was a kitchen at the top area of cafe and serving area which was linked with it. Belonging to them, had a vast area of table and chairs for sitting. Furthermore, a staff dinning rooms which were placed in front of sitting area. cafe had only one bin near to the toilets.

After some changes, the cafe looks pretty now. The kitchen is still stable at their place but serving area has been declined and in addition of hot meals which are linked with kitchen instead of serving area. There staff dinning room has been divided into two portions such as take away food and coffee bar. Moreover, there is salad bar which is at left corner of cafe and at this end holding a barbecue area for night parties. Bin is completely change into recycling bins near to the toilets. Toilets are still remain at their place. In addition, there are newly design outdoor seating area which increases the size of cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation: the former staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee areas, a salad bar and outdoor seating are added, and the kitchen and toilets remain in place. Your overview also notes the change from a general serving area to hot meals and from a bin to recycling bins. These are relevant comparisons and show a sound grasp of the plans. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the serving area is not described as “declined,” and the barbecue is southwest of the building, not “at this end” of the salad bar. The claim that there are “5 more things” is imprecise, and the outdoor seating’s four tables and new southern doors are omitted. More precise selection and development of these features would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to descriptions of the old and redesigned café. This helps the reader distinguish the two plans. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and several linking expressions are either repetitive or do not clarify the relationship between ideas. For example, “In addition” appears repeatedly, while “Belonging to them, had a vast area” makes the connection between the kitchen, serving area and seating difficult to follow. The final paragraph also repeats points already made about the kitchen, toilets and bins. Organise details by location or by what changed versus what stayed the same, and use clearer references such as “the former staff rooms” to improve flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “kitchen,” “serving area,” “recycling bins,” “salad bar” and “outdoor seating.” This gives you enough topic-specific language to communicate the main changes. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal, sometimes making the description less precise. “The cafe a new look,” “gave an impressive look,” and “pretty now” are not natural choices for an objective report. “Declined” does not accurately describe a serving area being replaced, and “stable at their place” is an awkward way to say the kitchen remains in the same position. Use neutral, precise terms such as “was replaced by,” “remained unchanged” and “was added.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the reader can generally understand the comparison between the two plans. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, particularly in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction. Examples include “These are changes that were not take place,” “There are addition of 5 more things,” and “Toilets are still remain at their place.” The sentence beginning “Belonging to them” is also incomplete, while “There staff dinning room has been divided” lacks a clear grammatical subject. These errors sometimes make relationships between features difficult to follow. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check tense and agreement when describing past and present layouts.

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