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 two layouts display the development of a collage cafe before redesign and how it looks today

Overall, we can see that the collage cafe had build a new section for barbecue with their equipmenets, salad bar with a little changing ih the other services.

Cafe before redesign, was consist of a big sale of tables and chairs in the middle, in the south-eastren there were toilets in the corner ,beside it a bin, in the north-westren , there a kitchen of the cafe with a serving area for all types of foods and drinks, and two staff dining rooms separated.

New cafe that developed, changed the two staff dining rooms to a coffee bar and storage of food to benefit from that service, the bin had developed different recycling bins, also changed the serving area and used for only hot meals. Adding two new sections; salad bar alongside the entrance of the kitchen, and barbecue with tables for outdoor seating with two doors; one for the access which in the front on the kitchen near to the salad bar, and the exit is close to the toilets. The main entrance doors remained the same at the left.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main before-and-after changes and give an overall summary, noting the new barbecue and salad bar alongside changes to the food services. Several details are accurately reported, including the central seating, toilets, kitchen, and replacement of the single bin with recycling bins. However, some features are unclear or misread: the former staff dining rooms became a takeaway-food section and a coffee bar, not a coffee bar and “storage of food”; the new southern doors lead to outdoor seating, rather than being one entrance and one exit. The statement that the main entrance is “at the left” is also inaccurate: it remains on the eastern side. More precise coverage of these changes would make the summary more complete and clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable progression: an overview is followed by a description of the original layout and then the redesigned café. This helps the reader compare the two plans, and phrases such as “Overall” and “also” signal relationships between ideas. However, the body paragraphs are not clearly separated, and the long final sentence combines several changes and locations, making the new layout difficult to follow. Some spatial references are also unclear, particularly “one for the access which in the front on the kitchen” and “the exit is close to the toilets.” Use separate sentences for the northern, western, and southern changes, and connect them with clear location-based transitions to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant plan vocabulary, including “serving area,” “tables and chairs,” “recycling bins,” and “outdoor seating,” which helps communicate the main features. However, word choice and spelling errors are noticeable and sometimes make the description harder to understand. Examples include “collage” for “college,” “equipmenets,” “sale of tables,” and “storage of food” for the takeaway-food section. Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “had build a new section” and “changed the bin had developed different recycling bins.” Aim for accurate, conventional terms from the plan and check spelling and collocations. This would make your vocabulary more precise without requiring more complex wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including comparisons between the old and new layouts. However, errors in verb forms, sentence construction, articles, and punctuation are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. For example, “the collage cafe had build” needs a correctly formed passive construction, while “Cafe before redesign, was consist” has an incorrect verb pattern. The final sentence also joins several ideas with semicolons and incomplete clauses, such as “one for the access which in the front.” Practise describing changes with clear passive forms (“was replaced by,” “was added”) and use complete sentences with consistent past and present tenses.

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