Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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 rendered layout depicts the information about the modifications that take place in the college cafe before and now.

To commence with, there were a kitchen and serving area for all food and drinks in the north side but today the location of the kitchen remain same but serving area convert into hot meals. Apart from this,the north side of the cafe there was a staff dinning rooms which dividing into two sections one is for take way food and second is coffee bar. While, in the middle side table and chairs remains same.

Moving ahead the remaining details, towards the east side of the area there were toilets and bins but toilets remains same bins area expand by recycling bin. Despite of this, there are some new areas are constructed in the south west direction such as salad bar, barbecue and outdoor seating.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant changes, including the kitchen staying in the same place, the serving counter becoming a hot-meals counter, and the staff rooms being replaced by takeaway and coffee-bar sections. However, the response only partially covers the plans: the overview is not clearly stated, and some important details are missing or inaccurate. In particular, the salad bar is on the western wall, not in the south-west, and the barbecue and outdoor seating are outside along the southern side. The toilets remain in the south-east, while the bin is replaced by recycling bins rather than an expanded bin area. The response is also 6 words below the required minimum. Add a clear summary of the main changes and describe locations precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable sequence: it first describes the northern and central areas, then moves to the eastern and southern parts. Paragraphing also separates these groups of information, so the reader can follow the general direction of the description. However, progression is weakened by mechanical transitions such as “To commence with,” “Apart from this,” and “Moving ahead,” and the relationship between some details is unclear. For example, “Despite of this” does not clearly connect the new southern features to the preceding information. Use simpler, more precise linking and organise the report around the main changes, such as internal alterations followed by additions outside.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “recycling bin,” and “outdoor seating,” which helps communicate the plan changes. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate or awkward, sometimes making the intended meaning less precise. “Dinning” should be “dining,” “take way food” should be “takeaway food,” and “bins area expand by recycling bin” does not clearly express that the original bin was replaced by recycling bins. “Constructed” is also not the most natural choice for facilities added to a café plan. Build a more accurate set of location and change phrases, such as “is situated,” “was replaced by,” and “was added along the southern wall.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some complex sentence forms, including contrasts with “but” and “while,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make several statements difficult to read. For example, “the location of the kitchen remain same” needs “remains the same,” while “serving area convert into hot meals” needs a past-tense passive form such as “was converted into a hot-meals counter.” The sentence beginning “Apart from this” also lacks a clear grammatical structure, and “there are some new areas are constructed” combines incompatible constructions. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and use shorter, complete sentences before adding more complex clauses.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.