Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-16

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 diagram compares the design of college cafe before its renovation and after its redesigned.

Overall, after renovation the cafe owner mainly increased the number of seats by making the outside seating. Also staff dinning rooms changed into coffee bar and take away orders. Similarly, Exchanged the positions of bin and toilets. there is no changes in kitchen area.

Cafe before redesign has less spacious, there was one kitchen located in the inside area of cafe, after that one serving area which is only for food and all drinks. Moreover, there was two staff dining rooms near the inside seating area. In the left corner toilets and near around bin was placed. There was no salad bar and barbecue area in the old design of cafe.

The major remarkable change in the cafe is outdoor seating and added some new areas such as barbecue and salad bar. Barbecue is in the right corner of the cafe. Serving area exchange with only hot meals area. In the old design there were two staff dining room, one room is converted into take away food and second is in the coffee bar. In addition, opposite to the recyling bin there is one salad bar added.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main purpose of the plans and give an overview of several important changes: outdoor seating was added, the former staff dining rooms became takeaway and coffee areas, and the kitchen remained. You also mention the new salad bar and barbecue. This covers the task well, with relevant comparisons, and the description of the serving counter changing to hot meals is accurate. However, some details are unclear or incorrect: the toilets did not move, and the barbecue is to the south-west of the building, not in the “right corner.” The claim that the bin and toilets exchanged positions is also inaccurate. More precise descriptions of the layout and a clearer account of the unchanged features would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details of the former and current layouts. This gives the reader a basic route through the comparison. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and some links are unclear or mechanical. For example, “Similarly, Exchanged the positions of bin and toilets” is difficult to connect to the preceding point, while “In the left corner toilets and near around bin was placed” does not clearly locate the features. The final paragraph repeats the conversion of the staff rooms already mentioned. Grouping changes by location or by what stayed the same versus what changed, and using clear references such as “the former staff rooms,” would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant plan vocabulary, including “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “outdoor seating,” and “salad bar,” so the reader can follow the general subject. There is also some attempt to vary wording with “renovation,” “redesigned,” and “converted.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “increased the number of seats by making the outside seating,” “take away orders,” and “near around bin.” Spelling errors such as “dinning” and “recyling” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, conventional phrases for describing plans, and check spelling and word forms; this would make the vocabulary more controlled and easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer comparisons, including “In the old design there were two staff dining room…” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence formation, agreement, articles, and punctuation sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “after its redesigned,” “there was two staff dining rooms,” and the fragment “Similarly, Exchanged the positions…” The sentence beginning “In the old design there were two staff dining room” also shifts awkwardly into “one room is converted.” Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and complete sentence structures, checking singular and plural forms and sentence boundaries. More reliable control of these basics would make your comparisons clearer.

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

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