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 illustrates the redesigning of a college cafe for students and faculty to have easy acess to every thing to enjoy there lunch break easily.

Overall before the renovation we can see that there is only one serving area that has everything availabe and there is kitchen at the back too. At the right side they have staff dinning room and at front there are tables for the learners and in the corner there is toilets and infront is a bin.

Looking first at the new cafe the kitchen in left has hot meals in front then at side they have a salad bar the previous staff dinning rooms is turned into take away food and a coffee bar easy acess for individuals who need food in a rush to go the indoor table and chairs are as it is and new recycling bins are placed infront of toilets. They even added a outdoor barbecue station and a seating are five different sets of table.In comparison to old one this cafe is more spacious that could have less crowd and a lot of time saved.

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AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the new hot-meal counter, salad bar, takeaway and coffee areas, recycling bins, and outdoor facilities. You also note that the kitchen and central tables remain, which helps compare the two plans. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the staff dining rooms were along the north wall, not on the right, and the outdoor area has four tables, not five. The overview focuses on convenience and spaciousness rather than clearly summarising the main physical changes; the claim that the redesign is more spacious is not established by the plans. Cover the layout changes more precisely and avoid unsupported conclusions to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: it introduces the plans, describes the former café, and then turns to the current layout. Phrases such as “Overall,” “Looking first,” and “In comparison” signal the intended progression. However, the description is packed into long sentences, especially the final paragraph, where several changes run together without clear separation. Some references are also difficult to follow, such as “at side” and “infront,” and the comparison at the end introduces a conclusion rather than organising the mapped features. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and each plan, and group details by location or by what stayed and changed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a café plan, including “serving area,” “kitchen,” “salad bar,” “recycling bins,” and “outdoor seating.” This gives the reader a basic understanding of the facilities. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, such as “staff dinning room,” “seating are,” and “easy acess.” Informal or imprecise expressions such as “food in a rush” and “a lot of time saved” are less suitable for a factual plan description. Build a more precise set of terms for location and change, such as “along the western wall,” “was replaced by,” and “was added,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect ideas using clauses and time contrasts, for example, “before the renovation” and “the previous staff dining rooms is turned into…”. However, sentence structures are limited, and attempts to combine many details often produce faulty or difficult-to-follow sentences. There are recurring problems with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries: “there is kitchen” needs an article, “rooms is turned” has incorrect agreement, and the final description joins several independent ideas without clear punctuation. The opening sentence also has an unclear grammatical construction. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then add controlled relative clauses and passive forms such as “The staff rooms were replaced by…”.

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