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 plan illustrate design of the college cafe how it looked in the past and how it is redesign now.

Overall, there is a addition of the outdoor seating along with the barbecue and also nearby the kitchen and hot meals facility there is a addition of salad bar. Staff dining room turn into takeaway food and coffee bar.

if we look into the past cafe design then when we entered into the cafe there was a bin in the left side and the toilet facility was nearby the bin.By moving forward straight table and chairs were there and in the right side of these there was a staff dining room.Next to the staff dining room there was kitchen and serving area in the same place.

Now everything changes in a different way if we enter into the cafe then on the left side there is a recycle bin. The toilet facility is on the left side. There is a door that is open in the outdoor seating beside the toilet facility.Tables and chairs are still in the center of the hall and on the right side there are two cabins one is takeway food and the other one is coffee bar which is newely introduce also the kitchen facility and hot meals are next to these. There is a addition of salad bar and also on the left side of this there is a door that open in the outdoor seating and beside the door there is a place of barbuce

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main redesign clearly: outdoor seating and a barbecue are added, the former staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee facilities, and the central tables remain. You also cover several key features in both plans, so the response addresses the task and gives a useful overview. However, some comparisons and locations are unclear or inaccurate. In the original plan, the bin is on the eastern side below the entrance, not on the left; the toilets remain in the bottom-right corner, rather than moving to the left. The kitchen is in the upper-left, but it is not next to the new takeaway and coffee sections in the way your description suggests. To develop the report further, describe the changes by area and include the western salad bar and the replacement of the single bin with recycling bins more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the former and current layouts. This gives the reader a basic progression from past to present. However, the sequencing within the descriptions is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in the present-day paragraph, where left/right references and the order of features do not consistently match the plan. Linking phrases such as “if we look into the past” and “Now everything changes” are repetitive and conversational, while some ideas run together without clear punctuation. Organise each layout systematically—for example, describe the upper section, the central area, then the sides and outdoor space—and use clear references such as “on the eastern wall” to make relationships easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing plans, including “outdoor seating,” “tables and chairs,” “kitchen,” and “coffee bar.” These terms help communicate the main functions shown. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate or informal, which sometimes makes the description less precise. Phrases such as “design … how it looked,” “everything changes in a different way,” and “place of barbecue” are not natural for an IELTS plan report. There are also spelling errors in “takeway,” “newely,” “recycle bin,” and “barbuce.” Build a more precise set of terms for change and location, such as “was converted into,” “was added,” “along the western wall,” and “in the south-west corner.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the reader can generally understand the intended comparison. However, control is inconsistent: errors in agreement, articles, tense, and sentence construction occur throughout. For example, “The plan illustrate” needs subject–verb agreement, while “there is a addition” has an article error and an awkward present-tense construction. The past description also shifts between past and present forms, as in “when we entered … there was” followed by “were there,” and several sentences join multiple ideas without appropriate punctuation. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions for the former plan and present-tense descriptions for the current one. Shorter, well-controlled sentences will help before you add more complex comparisons.

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.