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 fugure shows a college cafe plan before it was redesigned and how it looks after the design.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that the cafe expand its area and unchanged some of the areas.

Initially, in the kitchen they used to provide all types of food and drinks but after the redesign they only serve hot meals. There used to be two rooms designated for the staff dining rooms and table tand chairs in the mail hall, in the new design stuff dining rooms shifted to take away food and coffe bar.

In the new design, engineer introduced a salad bar of the left side of the floor and right side remained toilet unchanged and increase the sige of bin the new design. A outdoor seating has been introduced on the new design and a total number five seating area for the customers along with a new barbecue section.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main change from a general serving area to a hot-meals counter and note the new take-away and coffee-bar sections, salad bar, and outdoor seating with a barbecue. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the recycling bins replace the single bin rather than increase its size, and the outdoor area has four tables, not “a total number five seating area.” The toilets and central tables-and-chairs area remain, while the kitchen also stays in place; these key unchanged features could be stated more clearly. The response is 143 words, below the 150-word minimum, and eight words copied from the prompt are excluded from the count. Add accurate detail and a fuller overview of what changed and remained.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and descriptions of changes. Sequencing words such as “Initially” and “after the redesign” help signal the comparison. However, the progression is not consistently clear because several changes are compressed into long sentences, and some references are difficult to follow—for example, “in the new design stuff dining rooms shifted to take away food and coffe bar.” The final paragraph also combines the salad bar, toilets, bins, and outdoor facilities without a clear order. Organise the details by area, such as the north and west interior first, then the eastern and southern features, and use clearer links between old and new layouts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant plan vocabulary, including “kitchen,” “hot meals,” “salad bar,” “outdoor seating,” and “barbecue,” so the reader can identify several features. However, the range is limited and some word choices or spelling errors make details unclear: “expand its area,” “increase the sige of bin,” and “five seating area” do not accurately express the changes. “Stuff dining rooms” is also an unsuitable form for staff facilities, while “mail hall” appears to be an incorrect word choice. Use precise terms such as “remained unchanged,” “recycling bins,” and “four outdoor tables” to describe the plan. Check spelling and collocations carefully, especially for key labels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and longer sentences, and the overall meaning is often recoverable. However, errors are frequent, particularly in verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence construction. For example, “the cafe expand its area” needs a past-tense verb, while “a outdoor seating has been introduced” has an article error and an awkward structure. In “right side remained toilet unchanged and increase the sige of bin,” the verb forms and relationships between ideas are unclear. The sentence beginning “There used to be two rooms” also becomes difficult to follow when several changes are joined together. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and use shorter, complete sentences to report each comparison.

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