Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-17

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 below plan illustrate a college cafe, before it was redesigned and present cafe after renovating.

Overall, Seating capacity has increased and now we have diferrent sections for food servies compared to cafe before redesigned.

Initially, The college cafe before redesigned when we enter from main entrence on left side we have bins and on below that toilets are existing. On nothern part we have big kitchen serving area for food and drinks and we have wide seating area with tables and chairs in middle of room and small staff dinings rooms where staff can take break.

At present cafe, with new redesigned modelling it looks fancy, at the last we have salad bar and on southewest side we have barbecue counter infront of that a new outdoor seating is constructed which missing in cafe before renovating. Now, the staff dining rooms are replaced by takeaway and coffee bar sections and retained inside seating with tables and chairs.

In summery, I would say the new redesigned cafe looks fancy and clean with different arrangements. Although the staff dining rooms are missing.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main change in the café’s use of space: the former staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee-bar sections, and outdoor seating with a barbecue is added. You also note that the central tables and chairs and toilets remain. However, several locations are misreported: the original bin was on the eastern wall below the entrance, not on the left, and the toilets were in the bottom-right corner. The kitchen is in the north-west, but the serving counter is not a “big kitchen serving area.” Your overview that seating capacity has increased is plausible, but the claim that the redesign looks “fancy and clean” is subjective rather than a feature shown by the plans. Cover the western salad bar and the recycling bins more accurately to make the comparison fuller.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an overview followed by descriptions of the former and current layouts, and the reader can generally follow the comparison. Paragraphing helps separate these stages. However, progression within the descriptions is sometimes difficult to track: “at the last” and “infront of that” do not clearly establish where features are, while “Initially” and “At present” provide only basic transitions. The final paragraph repeats the opinion that the café looks fancy and adds little new information. Use a consistent route through each plan—for example, north to south—and link each change directly to its former position. Clearer referencing would make the organisation more coherent and less dependent on loosely connected phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “seating area,” “tables and chairs,” “replaced,” and “outdoor seating.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the description unclear. Examples include “food servies,” “staff dinings rooms,” “redesigned modelling,” and “at the last”; “fancy” is also an imprecise, subjective description for an academic report. Spelling errors such as “diferrent,” “entrence,” and “summery” are noticeable. Aim for precise terms for facilities and spatial relationships, and check spelling and collocations. For instance, describe the new facilities as “food-service areas” and say they are “located along the northern wall.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, control is inconsistent: the opening says “The below plan illustrate,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “before it was redesigned and present cafe” lacks a clear grammatical connection. Articles and prepositions are also often missing or misplaced, as in “on left side,” “in middle of room,” and “infront of that.” Capitalisation after commas is inconsistent, and some long sentences join several ideas without clear punctuation, particularly the description beginning “At present cafe.” Use complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, check articles and prepositions, and divide descriptions of separate locations into shorter 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.