Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-20

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 plan shows the change in a college cafe from bfeore and after it was redisged. It shows the various changes has been taken place and how it looks now.

Overall, it gives the blue print of changes. It can be seen that kitchen and toilets are at the same place. Also, bin is at the same place. However, outer area is now in use than before.

Firstly, kitchen is at same place but in past all ffod and drinks were being served at same place at the front of kitchen. Now, only hot meals are being served at this area. There are seaparate places for salad bar, coffee bar and take away food. Moreover, barbecue has also a separate place which is outside of cafe.

Furthermore, seating area is also extended. Previously, it was only inside a cafe but now outdoor seating has been arranged. However, toilets and bins has no change. One major change can be seen there are two doors on wall of outside seating areas one door opens inside the cafe near to toilet and other opens outward towards outdoor seating.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation: the kitchen and toilets remain in place, while new food-service facilities and outdoor seating are introduced. The overview also recognises that the café now uses the exterior space, and you compare the former serving counter with the hot-meals counter. These points make the response relevant and cover the main changes. However, some details are incomplete or unclear: the two former staff dining rooms become the takeaway-food and coffee-bar sections, and the new salad bar is on the western wall. The statement that the bins have “no change” overlooks their change from a bin to recycling bins. The description of the new doors is also inaccurate: both lead from the café to the outdoor seating, rather than one opening inward near the toilets. More precise reporting would complete the overview and support the stronger features already identified.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by two paragraphs describing changes. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly” and “Furthermore” help signal the progression, and the reader can generally follow the comparison between the former and current layouts. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, with repeated “Moreover”/“Furthermore” style transitions and repeated references to the kitchen, toilets and bins. Some links between details are not fully clear; for example, the final sentence about the doors is difficult to follow and does not accurately distinguish the café entrance from the outdoor area. Grouping changes by location—north, west, centre and south—and using clearer references such as “the former staff rooms” would make the progression more natural and precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing plans, including “kitchen,” “serving,” “separate places,” “seating area” and “outside.” This gives you enough basic language to communicate the broad changes. However, the range is limited and several choices or spelling errors reduce precision: “blue print” is not a natural way to describe a plan, “outer area” is vague, and “extended” does not clearly convey that seating has been added outdoors. There are also noticeable misspellings, including “bfeore,” “redisged,” “ffod” and “seaparate.” Aim for accurate, plan-specific terms such as “redesigned,” “outdoor area,” “expanded seating provision” and “food outlets.” Proofreading spelling and choosing more precise collocations would make the description easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including contrast with “but” and a relative clause in “which is outside of cafe.” The main ideas are usually understandable, but errors occur often enough to affect clarity. Examples include “the various changes has been taken place,” where the verb construction and agreement are incorrect, and “toilets and bins has no change,” where the plural subject requires a plural verb and a different construction. Articles and prepositions are also inconsistent, as in “at same place” and “inside a cafe.” The final sentence combines several ideas in a confusing structure. Practise accurate past and present forms for comparing plans, plural agreement, and sentence boundaries; shorter, controlled sentences would help before adding more complex structures.

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