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 given plan shows a cafe before redesign and cafe today made few changes comparing the old one.

Overall,the major changes made in the cafe which were not in the cafe are outdoor seating, added barbecue, salad bar in the left side, serving area is updated to hot meals counter. Moreover, staff dining area is converted into two halfs for takeaway food and coffee bar, whereas bin is transformed in recycling bin.

Firstly, in the inner cafe there had been more changes. Where the Serving area(for food and drinks) redesigned to Hot meals counter. Salad bar had been installed opposite the hot meals entrance. Additionally they modified Bin to Recyling bin used to throw trash. The Staff dining rooms were converted into two equal halves for Take away food and Coffee bar. While Toilets and Kitchen were untouched.

Secondly, the outer cafe is newly desinged connected with the entrance and exit to the inner cafe. In Outdoor the main highlighted is Outdoor seating designed with five tables. Moreover, they also put barbecue in the corner of cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation and provide a clear overview, noting the new outdoor seating and barbecue, the salad bar, and the conversion of the staff dining rooms into takeaway and coffee areas. You also correctly state that the kitchen and toilets remain unchanged. This covers the key changes and is generally accurate. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the outdoor area has four tables, not five, and the salad bar is along the western wall rather than specifically opposite the hot-meals entrance. The description of the new southern doors and the layout of the outdoor area could also be clearer. This is a strong account of the main features, but more precise spatial reporting and fuller development of the layout would strengthen it further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an overview followed by paragraphs on the interior and exterior. This helps the reader distinguish the main changes, and linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “Additionally” show attempts to connect details. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, with several points simply added one after another. “Firstly” and “Secondly” divide the information, but the relationship between some details is not always clear; for example, the sentence about the salad bar being “opposite the hot meals entrance” is difficult to place in the layout. Punctuation spacing, especially in “Overall,the” and “Firstly, in,” also interrupts the flow. Group related changes more deliberately and use clearer references to locations and connections.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “converted,” “untouched,” “outdoor seating,” and “recycling bin,” so the reader can understand the broad changes. There is also some attempt to vary wording, such as “redesigned” and “modified.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “made few changes” understates the redesign, “two halves” is not the clearest description of the new sections, and “in the corner of cafe” is vague. Spelling errors such as “Recyling,” “desinged,” and “halfs” are noticeable, while “throw trash” is less suitable for formal plan description. Aim for accurate collocations and consistent spelling, using terms such as “was replaced by” and “located in the south-west corner.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex structures, including a contrast with “whereas” and a clause beginning “While Toilets and Kitchen were untouched.” The main meaning is usually recoverable, but errors occur across sentence forms and reduce accuracy. For example, “The given plan shows a cafe before redesign and cafe today made few changes” has an unclear subject and missing articles; “Where the Serving area… redesigned” is a fragment with a missing auxiliary; and “there had been more changes” uses an unsuitable tense for describing the plans. Articles and plurals are also inconsistent in “in the corner of cafe.” Use present simple or present passive consistently for the current plan, and check that each sentence has a complete subject and verb. Punctuation spacing and capitalisation also need attention.

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