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 map below demonstrate changes before the restructure of college cafe.

At the beginning the cafe was constructed in a simple old fashioned. It has a lobby where tables and chairs very available in the center of cafe for sitting individuals. On the north east side at corner toilets were available and the outside of washing room there was a bin. There were two staff dinning rooms where staff can change before their job starts, furthermore serving area for food and drinks was situtated before the kitchen.

Now alot of changes have been made in the recent structure it contains alot of sections for example outdoor seating, barbecus, salad bar, hotmeals, take away food, coffee bar and as well as recycling bins.

The new structure looks fabelous for instance it has now more to offer as individuals can sit outside and enjoy the view food will be made infront of them which makes it very satisfying. Different sections provide different Items according to Individual's need for instance take away food or coffe bar and salaad bar.

In conclusion the cafe designed before was not providing as much the new changes made in the building

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the new outdoor seating, barbecue, salad bar, takeaway food and coffee bar, and you note that the toilets remain. However, the response only partly describes the plans: it gives little precise information about where the new facilities are, and it does not clearly explain that the kitchen and central tables-and-chairs area remain. Some details are inaccurate or unsupported: the staff dining rooms are described as places where staff change, and the food is said to be cooked in front of customers, which the plans do not show. The overview that the new café has “more to offer” is relevant but general. To develop the report, compare the old and new layouts directly and describe the main changes and unchanged features accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from the former layout to the current one and then to a conclusion. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression is not consistently clear: the first paragraph combines several locations without a precise route through the plan, while the second lists new features rather than explaining how they relate to the old layout. Linking expressions such as “furthermore” and “for instance” are used, but they do not always establish a clear relationship between ideas. The final sentence is also incomplete in meaning, so it does not provide a clear summary. Organise the report around the main comparisons—facilities replaced, facilities retained, and additions—and use location references to connect details.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “outdoor seating,” “recycling bins,” “salad bar” and “take away food,” which helps identify the facilities. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or informal for a plan description. “Lobby” is not an appropriate label for the central seating area, and “fabulous” and “satisfying” express personal evaluation rather than objective reporting. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “dinning,” “barbecus,” “fabelous,” “coffe” and “salaad,” which can distract the reader. Aim for precise, neutral terms such as “central seating area,” “was replaced by” and “was added,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentences, for example the sentence beginning “Different sections provide different Items,” but control is inconsistent and the range of sentence structures remains limited. Errors in verb forms and sentence construction occur frequently: “The map below demonstrate” needs subject–verb agreement, “tables and chairs very available” is missing a verb, and “serving area … was situtated” has an incorrect verb form. The final sentence, “the cafe designed before was not providing as much the new changes made in the building,” is difficult to interpret because its comparison is not grammatically complete. Use straightforward past and present forms to distinguish the two plans, and check agreement, articles and sentence boundaries before adding complex clauses.

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