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)
There are little changes in the college cafe before and after redesign that make cafe more organized and well mannered.
The kitchen,toilets and tables & chairs are on the same place in both design. However serving area in where all food and drink available in previous cafe is change in recent design only hot food are provided.
Two important and main design consideration in today cafe interior design is outdoor barbecue setup which i think in nowaday is essential as people enjoy barbbecue food flavour and exciated to outdoor setting,another major modification is using recycling bin instead of normal bin. recycling waste products in recent years is increase to protect people from pollution and diseaes.
In modern design staff dinning room is replaced by two compartments such as take away food and coffee bar it is good to include such services that people can bring food to home but finishing staff dinning is disapointed.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify several relevant changes, including the replacement of the staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee facilities, the change to hot meals, and the addition of outdoor seating and recycling bins. You also note that the kitchen, toilets and central tables remain. However, the response does not give a clear, objective overview of the main redesign: the new salad bar and the two southern doors are omitted, and the outdoor barbecue is described as a design consideration rather than simply reported as a feature. Comments about people enjoying barbecue food and recycling protecting people from pollution are opinions, not information shown in the plans. Focus on summarising the layout and comparing what changed and stayed the same, without explaining why the changes are desirable.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has some organisation: it begins with a general statement, then discusses unchanged features and several redesign changes. Linking expressions such as “However” and “In modern design” help signal contrasts and a new point. Nevertheless, the progression is not consistently clear because factual comparisons are mixed with personal explanations, and the final paragraph combines the staff-room change with an opinion about its removal. Some connections are also awkward, as in “Two important and main design consideration … is outdoor barbecue setup …, another major modification…”. Use a clearer sequence: overview first, then unchanged features, followed by the main internal and external changes. Keep each paragraph focused on one aspect of the plans.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “redesign,” “recycling,” “take away food,” “coffee bar” and “outdoor setting,” so the reader can identify several features. However, the range is limited and a number of word choices or forms are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “well mannered” for a layout, “design consideration” for a feature, and “finishing staff dinning” for the removal of staff dining rooms. Spelling errors such as “barbbecue,” “exciated,” “dinning” and “diseaes” also reduce clarity. Aim for precise plan-description language, for example “was replaced by,” “was added,” and “remained unchanged,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences, for example with “However” and “such as,” but the range of sentence structures is limited and complex attempts are often faulty. Errors include “There are little changes,” “the kitchen, toilets and tables & chairs are on the same place,” and “serving area … is change”; these involve agreement, prepositions and verb forms. The sentence beginning “Two important and main design consideration …” also has problems with singular/plural agreement and sentence boundaries. Use straightforward past and present forms to compare the plans: “The kitchen remained in the same position,” and “The serving counter now offers hot meals.” Check articles, verb forms and punctuation when joining clauses.
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