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 plans shows a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now. I will mention every details after redesigned and also make difference between before and after.

Overall, there are college cafe before redesign and today. There are lots of changes outside of the cafe, but in inside salad bar, take away food, coffee, instead of serving area hot meals is substituted and also recycle bin a bit larger after redesign.

College cafe before redesign has only limited available facilities. In north side there are serving area (all food and drink) and kitchen were built. Near serving area seprate staff dining rooms were available. In large tables and chairs were provided. In the southeast small toilet and bin were present.

After the redesign of the cafe, kitchen is at the same place, but instead of staff dining rooms take away food and coffee were build. In tables and chairs area salad bar is built, recycling bins is bigger after redesign and toilet is same as before. Lots of main outdoors has been developed to make easy for college. Outdoor seating and near it barbecue is available and can be accessed from two sides of tables and chairs area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast between the original café and its redesigned form, including the unchanged kitchen and toilets, the replacement of staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee facilities, and the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue. These are relevant features, and the overview recognises that the exterior changed substantially. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the salad bar is along the western wall, not simply “in tables and chairs area”; the recycling bins are not described as larger in the plan; and the new outdoor area is accessed through two doors in the southern wall, rather than “from two sides” of the seating area. The account also omits the hot-meals counter and the entrance arrangement. More precise reporting of these changes would make the coverage fuller and clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a description of the original layout, and a paragraph on the redesign. This gives the reader a basic before-and-after progression. However, links between details are sometimes awkward or unclear, as in “In large tables and chairs were provided” and “Lots of main outdoors has been developed.” The overview also lists several changes in a long, loosely connected sentence, making the main comparisons harder to follow. Use clearer topic sentences and organise each layout by location—for example, north, west, centre, and south—while using straightforward links such as “whereas,” “in addition,” and “by contrast.” This would improve progression and reduce the impression of a list.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant layout vocabulary, including “kitchen,” “staff dining rooms,” “tables and chairs,” “outdoor seating,” and “barbecue,” so the reader can identify many of the features. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate, sometimes making the description difficult to interpret. For example, “make difference” is not a natural way to describe a comparison, “recycle bin” does not accurately name the recycling bins, and “Lots of main outdoors” is unclear. Spelling errors such as “seprate” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise plan-description language and check collocations and spelling; this will help you communicate the changes more reliably.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors in agreement, articles, plurals, and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “The plans shows” should use a plural verb, while “every details” needs a singular noun or a plural determiner. In “recycling bins is bigger,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “kitchen is at the same place” needs an article. Some longer sentences, such as the overview’s list of changes, are not controlled clearly. Practise accurate basic sentence patterns first, then connect related comparisons with clauses such as “while” or “whereas.” This would make the range you attempt easier to follow.

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

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