Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-14

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 given plan shows a college cafe blue print before being redesigned and how it looks now. And only the plan itself tells you that lot of significant changes has happened within and outside of college cafe.

Before the reconstruction of college cafe interior, the cafe only had indoor seating for customer or student with only one way in and out. The previous plan shows only one area was made for taking your foods and drinks attached with kitchen area. And there was also staff dining room which is not really needed in cafe especially in college cafes.

The redesigned plan is quite useful and seems every spaces is used leisurely. The removal of staff dining room is significant change which is changed to take away food and coffee bar counter, this makes customer easier to order their specific order from specific counter and makes lesser crowd. Other hot meals can be taken from counter attached with kitchen and there's separate salad bar in new plan.

New plan also consist outdoor seating area along with barbecue. This makes plan more efficient and can make lot of profit with this range of changes. Most cafe with outdoor seating is famous and make a good business.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main transformation: the staff dining rooms are replaced by takeaway and coffee counters, and the redesign adds outdoor seating and a barbecue. You also note the hot-meal counter and salad bar, so the response covers several important changes. However, some details are inaccurate or insufficiently reported. The original plan has an entrance on the eastern wall, but it is not described as the only way in and out; the new southern doors are also worth noting. The toilets remain in the same position and the bin becomes recycling bins, but these comparisons are omitted. The claim that the redesign will make a profit is speculation rather than information shown by the plans. A clearer overview of what remains and what is added would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally coherent sequence: it introduces the plans, describes the original café, then moves to the redesign and its outdoor facilities. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and linking phrases such as “The redesigned plan” and “New plan also” guide the reader. However, progression is sometimes weakened by unclear references, including “which is changed to take away food and coffee bar counter,” where the reader must infer that the staff rooms were replaced. The opening fragment beginning “And only the plan itself” is also awkwardly connected to the first sentence. Some points, such as the business benefits, interrupt the factual comparison. Use clearer transitions and refer directly to features and their locations to make cohesion more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of topic-related vocabulary, including “reconstruction,” “removal,” “counter,” “outdoor seating,” and “barbecue,” which helps communicate the main changes. There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “significant changes.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “blue print” is not the best term for a plan, “used leisurely” does not express that space is used efficiently, and “specific order from specific counter” is repetitive. “Customer or student” and “make a good business” are also imprecise. Aim for concise, conventional map-description language and avoid unsupported evaluative claims. More accurate collocations would make the vocabulary more flexible and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “which” and “along with,” and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, some sentence structures are incomplete or awkward. “And only the plan itself tells you that…” is a fragment linked to the previous sentence, while “The removal of staff dining room is significant change which is changed to…” has an unclear clause structure. There are also errors in articles, agreement, and number, as in “the cafe only had indoor seating for customer” and “New plan also consist.” Punctuation and sentence boundaries need attention, particularly at the start. Practise building complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check articles and singular/plural agreement.

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