Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-12

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 below show a cafe it was redesighned and how it looks now.

Overall, before there were not any outdoor seating and Barbecue in cafe but now there are outdoor seatings and barbecue in cafe. Furthermore, Toilets and Kitchen places are same now.

Firstally, Serving area of kitchen is now convert in to Hot meals place. Now the take away food and coffee bar are make on the place of staff dining rooms. Table and chairs area is still same at the center of the cafe.

Secondally, bins are now converted in to recycling bins and now salad bar is make at the opposite to recycling bins. Toilets place is same at the corner of the cafe. One more addetion in cafe is barbecue and outdoor seating are make at the outside of the cafe. I think this is very good decesion. It make the cafe complete and good.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall changes: outdoor seating and a barbecue have been added, while the kitchen and toilets remain in the same locations. You also report several key conversions, including the serving area becoming a hot-meals counter and the staff dining rooms being replaced by takeaway food and a coffee bar. This covers the task’s central features and is generally grounded in the plans. However, some details are unclear or incomplete: the salad bar is on the western wall, not simply “opposite” the recycling bins, and the new southern doors and four outdoor tables are not described. The personal comment that the redesign is a “very good decision” is not needed in an objective plan summary. More precise location comparisons would strengthen the report further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and expressions such as “Overall” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is not always clear. “Firstally” and “Secondally” are repeated sequencing devices rather than precise links, and the final personal opinion interrupts the factual description. Some references are also difficult to follow, particularly “salad bar … at the opposite to recycling bins.” Grouping changes by location—for example, north and west interior changes, then the southern outdoor additions—would create a clearer progression and make comparisons easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “outdoor seating,” “staff dining rooms,” “recycling bins,” and “Tables and chairs,” so the reader can identify many of the plan features. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, sometimes making the description less natural. Examples include “outdoor seatings,” “places,” “make,” and “addetion”; “barbecue” is also repeated without much variation. Some phrases, such as “the opposite to recycling bins,” do not express the spatial relationship clearly. Aim for accurate map language and collocations, such as “is located,” “was replaced by,” and “along the western wall.” Check spelling and use the exact labels shown in the plans where possible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the basic meaning is usually recoverable. However, control of sentence structure and verb forms is inconsistent, with errors appearing across much of the response. For example, “The plan below show” needs subject–verb agreement, while “the cafe it was redesighned” combines clauses incorrectly. Phrases such as “is now convert in to” and “are make” use incorrect verb forms, and “Toilets and Kitchen places are same now” is missing grammatical elements. Most sentences follow a simple pattern, so the range is limited. Practise accurate past and present passive forms for describing changes, such as “was replaced by” and “remains in the same location,” alongside correctly formed comparison sentences.

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