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 diagrams demonstrate how a college cafe was before it was redesigned and the same college cafe now.

Overall, the cafe has undergone significant transformation, with many original features being removed or replaced. An large outdoor seating and a berbecue place is added outside the cafe. However, the location of kitchen, and indoor seating and the location of toilets remain unchanged.

The serving area for all food and drink is now replaced by hot meals which is used to serve fresh and hot foods.The staff dining room is completely removed and replaced by take away food and a coffee bar. A salad bar is added on left side of the cafe. Furthermore, an large outdoor seating is added outside of the cafe. Also, a barbecue place is added outside.

Meanwhile, the location of kitchen, table and chairs, toilets remain unchanged even after transformation. However the bin is replaced by a recycling bin.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall changes: the former staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee facilities, a salad bar is added, and outdoor seating with a barbecue appears. You also note that the kitchen, central tables and chairs, and toilets remain in place, and that the bin becomes recycling bins. This covers the key comparisons and gives a clear overview. To make the account more complete and precise, describe the new southern doors and the outdoor area’s position, and clarify that the kitchen remains while its serving counter is relabelled for hot meals. The claim that the outdoor seating is “large” is not supported by the plan, and the explanation that hot meals are “used to serve fresh and hot foods” adds information not shown. Some features are reported more fully than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes and retained features. This helps the reader follow the comparison. However, progression is weakened by repetition: outdoor seating and the barbecue are mentioned in both the overview and the third paragraph, while the final paragraph repeats that the kitchen, tables and toilets remain unchanged. Linking is also somewhat mechanical, with “However,” “Furthermore,” and “Also” doing much of the work, and the final “Meanwhile” does not clearly signal the relationship between the points. Group the new facilities together, then describe retained features once, using clear spatial or contrastive links to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “replaced,” “remain unchanged,” “staff dining room,” and “recycling bin.” These choices communicate the main changes, but the range is limited and several phrases are imprecise or repetitive. “An large outdoor seating” is not a natural collocation; use “a large outdoor seating area” if size is evident, or simply “an outdoor seating area.” “Barbecue place” is also awkward, and “fresh and hot foods” is an unsupported, unnatural description. The spelling “berbecue” is incorrect, and “cafe” is repeated frequently. More precise terms such as “counter,” “facility,” and “southern entrance” would help describe the layout without adding unsupported detail.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple statements and more complex comparisons, and the main meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, agreement, and sentence construction. For example, “An large outdoor seating … is added” has an incorrect article and does not form a natural noun phrase; “the location of kitchen, table and chairs, toilets remain unchanged” needs articles and clearer agreement; and “which is used to serve” has an unclear reference. The sentence “The serving area … is now replaced by hot meals” also uses an awkward tense construction for describing a completed redesign. Use consistent past or present-perfect forms for changes, and check articles and plural subjects. Punctuation is also needed after “foods” before the next sentence.

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