Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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 images show the progress of a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looked before.

Overall, a lot of additions and changes has been made including more seating areas and different serving places compared to the old cafe.

The old cafe had a kitchen with a serving area for all food and drinks, two staff dining rooms separate from the seating area for the rest of the students next to the door a bin and restrooms.

However after the redesign, different options of food and drinks ared added, first the kitchen now only serves hot meals not everything like the old design, the staff dinning rooms one now is primarly t=for take away food and the other is a coffee bar while the sseaing area became for everyone. in front of the kitchen a salad bar has bin established. Even more an outdoor seating area has been added with a barbecue. The restrooms are the same as before however the bin has been upgraded to multiple recycling bins.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main transformation and provide a clear overview: the redesign adds more food options and seating, while the toilets remain unchanged. You also accurately compare the hot-meal counter with the former all-food-and-drink serving area, and mention the new outdoor seating, barbecue and recycling bins. This gives the response a solid account of the plans. Some details are less fully or precisely reported, however: the two former staff rooms become takeaway food and a coffee bar, but the description of this change is difficult to follow, and the new doors on the south wall and the four outdoor tables are omitted. The claim that the salad bar is “in front of the kitchen” is also not quite accurate; it is along the western wall. More precise location comparisons would strengthen the overview and coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, an overview, a description of the former layout and a final comparison with the redesigned café. This helps the reader follow the broad before-and-after account. However, progression within the final paragraph is uneven, and several ideas are crowded into one long sentence beginning “However after the redesign”. The sequence “first… while… Even more” does not clearly organise the changes, and the reference to “the other” requires the reader to infer which room is meant. Use separate sentences or paragraphs to group interior changes, unchanged features and outdoor additions. More precise linking and referencing would make the account easier to follow without relying on a list-like sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a café plan, including “serving area”, “staff dining rooms”, “seating area”, “recycling bins” and “barbecue”. These choices communicate the main changes, and there is some variety in how you describe the facilities. However, several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or informal for this task: “progress” suggests development over time rather than a comparison of plans, “different options of food and drinks ared added” is awkward, and “upgraded” is not a precise description of replacing a bin with recycling bins. Spelling and word-form slips such as “dinning” and “sseaing” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise plan-description language, such as “was converted into” and “was replaced by”, and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of sentence forms, including a comparative overview and a complex sentence introduced by “However”. The main message is generally recoverable, but grammatical control is inconsistent, particularly in the long final sentence. For example, “a lot of additions and changes has been made” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “different options of food and drinks ared added” has a faulty verb form. The clause “the staff dinning rooms one now is…” is also difficult to parse, and the final paragraph contains sentence-boundary and punctuation problems, including a lower-case “in” after a full stop. Break complex ideas into shorter, complete sentences and check agreement, verb forms and punctuation during revision.

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