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)

As it can be noticed, the college cafe was redesigned into something new. Starting with the kitchen, in the old design there was a separate space for service area, serving all kind of foods and drinks. However, in the new redesign it was replaced with hot meals area. Then just below the kitchen there used to be a salad bar but in the newer version it was removed. Moving on to staff dining rooms in the previous version, they were replaced into 2 separate rooms one for take away food, and one for coffee bar. Then, a normal bin was replaced with a recyling bin to recycle certain items from trash. Lastly, 2 doors were installed below the tables and chairs section and a separate area was introduced for outdoor seatings for families, with a barbecue on the left side for the guests sitting outdoor so they can enjoy their meals while enjoying the view outside.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important changes, including the conversion of the serving counter to hot meals, the replacement of staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee facilities, and the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue. However, the account is only partially complete and includes a significant factual error: you say a salad bar existed below the kitchen before and was removed, whereas it was added along the western wall in the current plan. The overview is also vague (“redesigned into something new”), and some key features are omitted, such as the unchanged toilets and central seating, and the new salad bar. Focus on an accurate overview of the main changes, then describe the locations and features shown without adding unsupported details such as seating being for families or a view.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a generally understandable sequence, moving from the kitchen to the former staff rooms, bins, and outdoor area. Linking phrases such as “Starting with,” “Moving on to,” and “Lastly” help signal this order. However, the answer is presented as one long paragraph, and the repeated chronological transitions make the progression feel like a list rather than a clearly grouped comparison. Some references are also unclear: “it” in “it was replaced with hot meals area” does not precisely identify the counter, while “below the tables and chairs section” is an imprecise description of the southern wall. Group the internal changes together and the outdoor additions separately, and use clear location-based references to make comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough task-related vocabulary to communicate several changes, including “serving area,” “take away food,” “coffee bar,” “recycling bin,” and “outdoor seating.” There is some variety in how changes are described, but word choice and spelling are not consistently controlled. “Recyling” is misspelled, “outdoor seatings” is an unnatural plural, and “replaced into” is an unsuitable collocation. Phrases such as “something new,” “certain items from trash,” and “normal bin” are vague or informal for a plan description. Use precise labels from the diagram and standard map language, for example, “the general serving counter was replaced by a hot-meals counter” and “a waste bin was replaced with recycling bins.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including a contrast with “However” and a longer sentence describing the outdoor area. The main changes are usually understandable, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, “it was replaced with hot meals area” needs an article and a clearer subject, while “they were replaced into 2 separate rooms” uses an incorrect verb pattern. The final sentence is long and becomes difficult to manage, with several ideas joined by “for” and “so.” There are also tense and number issues in “outdoor seatings.” Improve accuracy by using concise past-versus-present comparisons, checking articles and plural forms, and dividing the final sentence into shorter clauses.

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