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 images shown below are illustrating a college cafe's structure before it was redesigned and how it is looking now.

We can see that there are some new sections that are introduced in this redesigning process.

One of the major changing is the start of the barbecue section outside the cafe with appriopriate seating arrangements for students, as the result the students can now enjoy the freshly made and readily available barbecue. Alongside this change, inside the cafe a salad bar is also introduced in which different ingredients are placed their and students can choose independently from these ingredients what they want to include in their salad or what they donnot want to mix in their salad.

In addition to these changings, two sections named as coffee bar and takeaway food is also launched, as the name indicates coffee bar includes a wide range of beverages and now students can easily take their food from takeaway food counter. Beside this near the kitchen, hot meals section is introduced.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several genuine changes, including the new barbecue and outdoor seating, salad bar, takeaway counter, coffee bar, and hot-meal counter. However, the response focuses mainly on what students might eat or drink, rather than summarising the plans and comparing the layout. The overview is vague (“there are some new sections”) and does not mention important features such as the central tables and chairs and toilets remaining, the staff dining rooms being replaced, or recycling bins taking the place of the bin. Some details, such as the range of beverages and students choosing salad ingredients, are not shown in the plans. To strengthen the response, prioritise the main spatial changes and state clearly what stayed the same as well as what was added or replaced.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally understandable sequence: it introduces the redesign, then describes several new facilities using transitions such as “Alongside this change” and “In addition to these changings.” This gives the reader a basic sense of progression. However, the information is not organised into a clear overview followed by a systematic comparison of the interior and exterior. The long paragraph also combines layout details with speculation about how students use the facilities, which weakens the progression. Some linking phrases are repetitive or awkward, and “Beside this near the kitchen” makes the relationship between the ideas unclear. Grouping changes by location and using clearer references to the former and current plans would make the organisation more effective.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “salad bar,” “barbecue section,” “seating arrangements,” and “takeaway food counter,” so the reader can identify several facilities. There is also some attempt to vary wording through phrases such as “introduced” and “launched.” However, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “appriopriate,” “donnot,” and “changings” are inaccurate, while “start of the barbecue section” and “launched” are not natural choices for describing a plan. Some wording is also unnecessarily elaborate, such as the explanation of salad ingredients. Aim for concise, accurate terms for spatial change, such as “added,” “replaced,” and “located,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of sentence forms, including longer sentences with clauses introduced by “as” and “in which.” The main ideas are usually understandable, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, “The images … are illustrating” uses an awkward progressive form, and “One of the major changing is” has an incorrect noun form and agreement pattern. In “ingredients are placed their,” the adverb is used where a location expression is needed; “coffee bar and takeaway food is” also has a subject–verb agreement problem. Several sentences run on, particularly the sentence beginning “One of the major changing,” so punctuation and clause boundaries need attention. Practise accurate present-tense descriptions and shorter, controlled comparisons alongside complex sentences.

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