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 scheme below illustrate the college before it was restructure and how it looks now.
overall, many new fascinating changes has been observed for instance in staff dining room, serving area and a new outdoor seating arrangment was also established in present cafe.
On the one hand,the cafe before reconstrution has a staff dining room which then converted into take away and coffee bar, followed by serving area which is redeveloped into hot meals.
On the other hand, a whole new area is developed in present cafe the barbecue and outdoor seating arrangement.
Whereas, tables and chairs , area of kitchen , toilets, recyling bins, kitchen remain in the sme order as before.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You identify several important changes, including the conversion of the staff dining rooms into takeaway and coffee-bar areas, the change from a general serving area to hot meals, and the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue. However, the response only partially covers the plans: it gives little detail about the new salad bar or the recycling bins, and the overview does not clearly distinguish what stayed the same from what changed. The claim that the recycling bins remain “in the same order” is unclear; the plans show a bin replaced by recycling bins in the same position. The response is also 37 words below the required minimum, limiting the detail available. Develop the overview and describe the main changes more fully.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a basic overall structure: it introduces the plans, gives an overview, and then contrasts the former and current café. Phrases such as “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” show an attempt to organise comparisons. However, the progression is not always clear, and the final sentence combines several unchanged features without explaining their relationships. The contrast markers are also somewhat mechanical for describing a floor plan, while “Whereas” is left as a fragment rather than linked to a complete clause. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the main changes, then group features by location or by what changed and what remained. Clearer linking would make the comparison easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some relevant vocabulary for describing redesigns, including “converted,” “redeveloped,” “outdoor seating arrangement,” and “barbecue.” These choices show an attempt to go beyond very basic wording. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “reconstrution,” “recyling,” “arrangment,” and “sme,” and some phrases are unnatural or imprecise, such as “new fascinating changes” and “in the same order.” “Staff dining room” is also singular where the plans show two rooms. Aim for accurate, conventional plan-description vocabulary and check spelling carefully; precise terms such as “remained unchanged,” “was replaced by,” and “was added” would make the information clearer.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt a range of sentence forms, including a comparison with “On the one hand” and a longer sentence beginning “Whereas.” However, errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships between features difficult to understand. For example, “The scheme below illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, while “how it looks now” does not match the past-to-present comparison as clearly as a present-perfect or past-tense construction would. In “many new fascinating changes has been observed,” the verb does not agree with the plural subject, and the passive form is awkward. The final “Whereas” clause is incomplete. Practise accurate agreement, tense choice, and complete sentence construction before adding more complex clauses.
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